ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, which parliamentary constituencies were in local authority areas whose electoral registration officers did not reach the required performance indicators on Standard 3 in respect of electors who failed to register to vote; and if he will make a statement.

Gary Streeter: In 2011, 98 constituencies were in local authority areas where the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) did not meet performance standard 3. This standard aims to ensure that EROs make the necessary house-to-house inquiries to ensure that all eligible residents are registered, in line with their legal duty to maintain complete and accurate electoral registers.
	In 2012 the Commission reviewed the canvass plans of all EROs ahead of the annual canvass to confirm that arrangements were in place for the necessary house-to-house inquiries to be carried out. The Commission intervened where issues were identified and recommended improvements that should be made before the completion of the canvass. The Commission's report on ERO performance in 2012 will be published in spring 2013 and will assess the extent to which house-to-house inquiries are being carried out across Great Britain.
	The constituencies in areas where EROs did not meet standard 3 in 2011 were:
	Airdrie and Shotts
	Angus
	Arundel and South Downs
	Aylesbury
	Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock
	Beaconsfield
	Bognor Regis and Littlehampton
	Boston and Skegness
	Braintree
	Brecon and Radnorshire
	Bridgwater and West Somerset
	Broxbourne
	Buckingham
	Cannock Chase
	Castle Point
	Central Ayrshire
	Central Devon
	Central Suffolk and North Ipswich
	Chatham and Aylesford
	Chichester
	Coatbridge, Chyston and Bellshill
	Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
	Cynon Valley
	Dumfrieshire, Clydesdale and Tweedsdale
	Dunfermline and West Fife
	East Devon
	East Hampshire
	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
	East Lothian
	East Surrey
	Edinburgh East
	Edinburgh North and Leith
	Edinburgh South
	Edinburgh South West
	Edinburgh West
	Falkirk CC
	Gillingham and Rainham
	Glenrothes
	Gravesham
	Great Yarmouth
	Kenilworth and Southam
	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
	Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath
	Lanark and Hamilton East
	Lancaster and Fleetwood
	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
	Livingstone
	Louth and Horncastle
	Ludlow
	Maidenhead
	Maldon
	Meon Valley
	Meriden
	Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney
	Mid Dorset and Poole North
	Midlothian
	Milton Keynes North
	Milton Keynes South
	Mole Valley
	Monmouth
	Montgomeryshire
	Morecambe and Lunesdale
	Motherwell and Wishaw
	North Ayrshire and Arran
	North Devon
	North Dorset
	North East Fife
	North East Hampshire
	North East Hertfordshire
	North Herefordshire
	North Shropshire
	North Somerset
	North Thanet
	North Warwickshire
	Ochil and South Perthshire
	Perth and North Perthshire
	Rhondda
	Rochester and Strood
	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
	Shrewsbury and Atcham
	Solihull
	South Thanet
	Stirling
	Suffolk Coastal
	Taunton Deane
	Telford
	The Wrekin
	Tiverton and Honiton
	Torfaen
	Torridge and West Devon
	Vale of Glamorgan
	West Worcestershire
	Weston-super-Mare
	Windsor
	Witham
	Witney
	Worthing West
	Wycombe
	In 2011, the Commission worked specifically with those EROs who had not met the standard in any of the previous three years to identify actions they should take to improve their performance.
	The Commission will develop a revised set of performance standards to monitor the transition to Individual Electoral Registration in Great Britain.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, in which local authorities' electoral registration officers did not meet the performance standard 3 on house to house calls for non-registration in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010 and (d) 2011; and what steps have been taken against such officers.

Gary Streeter: The local authorities’ electoral registration officers (EROs) in the following list did not meet performance standard 3 in each of the years 2008 to 2011. This standard aims to ensure that EROs make the necessary house-to-house inquiries to ensure that all eligible residents are registered, in line with their legal duty to maintain complete and accurate electoral registers.
	In 2011, the Commission carried out a detailed analysis of performance against this standard in response to feedback indicating that for various reasons, including local authority budget reductions, there may be a greater number of EROs in 2011 who would not meet this standard. This work confirmed that a higher number of EROs were not meeting the standard than in 2010.
	2008
	Rhondda, Cynon, Taff
	The Vale of Glamorgan
	Bridgnorth
	Coventry
	Nuneaton and Bedworth
	Shrewsbury and Atcham
	Solihull
	Stratford Upon Avon
	Craven
	Leeds
	Ryedale
	Dumfries and Galloway
	North Lanarkshire
	Orkney Islands
	Shetland Islands
	South Lanarkshire
	2009
	Brentwood
	Broadland
	East Hertfordshire
	Epping Forest
	Uttlesford
	Hyndburn
	South Lakeland
	Warrington
	Basingstoke and Deane
	East Hampshire
	Runnymede
	West Devon
	West Somerset
	Merthyr Tydfil
	Newport
	The Vale of Glamorgan
	Warwick
	2010
	Brentwood
	East Hertfordshire
	Epping Forest
	Hertsmere
	Maldon
	Hyndburn
	Mid Devon
	West Devon
	2011
	East Hertfordshire
	Great Yarmouth
	Maldon
	Suffolk Coastal
	Lancaster
	Angus
	Clackmannanshire
	East Ayrshire
	East Lothian
	Edinburgh, City of
	Falkirk
	Fife
	Midlothian
	North Ayrshire
	North Lanarkshire
	Perth and Kinross
	South Ayrshire
	South Lanarkshire
	Stirling
	West Lothian
	Arun
	Chichester
	East Hampshire
	Gravesham
	Hart
	Medway
	Milton Keynes
	Mole Valley
	Tandridge
	Thanet
	West Oxfordshire
	Windsor and Maidenhead
	Wycombe
	East Devon
	East Dorset
	Mid Devon
	North Devon
	North Dorset
	North Somerset
	Sedgemoor
	Taunton Deane
	West Devon
	West Somerset
	Merthyr Tydfil
	Powys
	Rhondda, Cynon, Taff
	The Vale of Glamorgan
	Torfaen
	Cannock Chase
	Malvern Hills
	North Warwickshire
	Shropshire
	Solihull
	Warwick
	Since 2008 the Commission has worked with EROs in local authorities that have not met one or more of the performance standards, to recommend improvements.
	In 2011, the Commission worked specifically with those EROs who had not met the standard in any of the previous three years to identify actions they should take to improve their performance.
	In 2012 the Commission reviewed the canvass plans of all EROs ahead of the annual canvass to confirm that arrangements were in place for the necessary house to house inquiries to be carried out. The Commission intervened where issues were identified and recommended improvements that should be made before the completion of the canvass. The Commission's report on ERO performance in 2012 will be published in spring 2013 and will assess the extent to which house-to-house inquiries are being carried out across Great Britain.

DEFENCE

Assets

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to the public purse of the UK-based defence estate was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mark Francois: holding answer 6 December 2012
	The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is responsible for the management of the Defence estate in the UK. In financial year 2011-12 DIO expenditure on the UK estate was some £2.9 billion.

Contracts and Meetings

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many contracts were awarded by his Department to Oracle in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(2)  how many contracts were awarded by his Department to Xerox in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(3)  how many contracts were awarded by his Department to DELL CSC in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(4)  how many contracts were awarded by his Department to Symantec in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;l
	(5)  how many contracts were awarded by his Department to Amazon in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(6)  how many contracts were awarded by his Department to Google in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.
	(7)  how many meetings he and officials of his Department had with Google in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(8)  how many meetings he and officials of his Department had with Amazon in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(9)  how many meetings he and officials of his Department had with Oracle in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(10)  how many meetings he and officials of his Department had with Xerox in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(11)  how many meetings he and officials of his Department had with Dell CSC in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(12)  how many meetings he and officials of his Department had with Symantec in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Philip Dunne: The number of contracts awarded to the named companies in 2010, 2011 and 2012 is shown in the following table. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has not awarded any contracts to Amazon during this period. The table includes contracts let by MOD agencies and trading funds.
	
		
			 Company 2010 2011 2012 
			 Oracle 17 14 8 
			 Xerox 1 — 2 
			 DELL 2 1 — 
			 CSC (Computer Sciences Corporation) — 1 1 
			 Symantec 3 — — 
			 Google 1 — 1 
		
	
	Information about meetings between officials and these companies could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Details of all ministerial meetings with external organisations, including companies, are published in the MOD Transparency returns, which are available at this address:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministers-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings
	No meetings were held between Ministers and the named companies in 2010, 2011 or 2012.

Cybercrime

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made on developing UK computer emergency response teams.

Chloe Smith: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	Three significant Government computer emergency response teams (CERT), MODCERT (for defence), GOVCERTUK (for Government Departments) and CSIRTUK (for the CNI), have been in place for some time, as well as others across the public and private sectors.
	On 3 December 2012, Official Report, column 41WS, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), informed the House on progress in support of the UK Cyber Security Strategy, which announced our intention to establish a UK National CERT. This will build on existing structures and enhance national co-ordination and international liaison regarding cyber incidents.

Military Aircraft

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the findings of the National Audit Office's Major Projects Reports 2012, published in January 2013, whether he plans to extend the life of the VC10 and Tristar fleets.

Philip Dunne: A decision was taken in late December 2012 to resource an extension of the VC10 fleet until September 2013, but the Ministry of Defence currently has no plans to extend the out of service date for TriStar beyond that mentioned in the National Audit Office's Major Projects Report 2012.

Piracy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many UK personnel are deployed on anti-piracy operations;
	(2)  how many UK ships are on deployments aimed at stopping piracy.

Andrew Robathan: As at 21 January 2013, HMS Northumberland is available to support the Combined Maritime Force counter-piracy operation in the Gulf. There are approximately 200 personnel aboard. The UK also provides the Operational Commander together with 50% of the HQ staff in the UK-based Operational Headquarters (Northwood). As the opportunity arises, the Royal Navy contributes ships which are transiting through the area of operations to support counter-piracy operations.
	There is also one UK Lynx flight, with approximately 15 personnel, on board the French ship Surcouf supporting the European Union counter-piracy operation, Operation Atalanta. The UK also contributes five counter-piracy liaison officers to Atalanta who are based in Bahrain, Dijbouti, Mombassa, the Seychelles and Tanzania.

Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many meeting requests the Minister for the Armed Forces has received from the Scottish Minister for Transport and Veteran Affairs since 4 September 2012; and how many visits the Minister for the Armed Forces has made to Scotland since that date.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 10 December 2012
	I have received one personal letter from the Scottish Minister for Transport and Veteran Affairs, in which he requested a meeting. The Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois), and he have subsequently met. Since 4 September 2012, the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), together with the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, my hon. Friend the Member for Ludlow (Mr Dunne), and I have each made one visit to Scotland.
	Since 2010, I have visited Scotland six times as a Defence Minister; met with the Scottish Minister for Housing and Communities; and offered to meet with the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, but he declined the offer.

Space Technology

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the UK National Space Security Policy will be published.

David Willetts: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	Following the Cabinet Office led drafting of the UK National Space Security Policy, I can confirm that we intend to publish the policy as soon as is feasible and officials in this Department and in the Ministry of Defence are working towards this.

Veterans

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress has been made on the review being carried out by the Special Representative for Veterans' Transition.

Mark Francois: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 7 January 2013, Official Report, column 51W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Burton (Andrew Griffiths).

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Business Committee

Christopher Chope: To ask the Leader of the House pursuant to his answer of 15 January 2013, Official Report, column 685W, on the Business Committee, if the House Business Committee will be in place by May 2013.

Andrew Lansley: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 15 January 2013, Official Report, 685W.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Amazon

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many contracts were awarded by his Department to Amazon in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not record this information centrally and would be available only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department's Financial records show that a payment of £75 was made through the Department's financial system to Amazon between the 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2012.

Biofuels

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what sustainability standards must be met by applicants before his Department will provide support to proposed biofuel projects.

John Hayes: DECC provides support to renewable electricity generated from bioliquids through the Renewables Obligation. Eligibility is dependent on complying with the mandatory sustainability standards set out in the Renewable Energy Directive. These include restrictions on the use of bioliquids produced from land important for biodiversity or from land with high carbon stocks. The sustainability standards also include a life cycle greenhouse gas saving of at least 35%.
	For proposed projects which require development consent under the Planning Act 2008 the current national policy statement sets out that consent should not be granted to a proposed biomass or bioliquid-fuelled generating station unless it is satisfied that the operator will (so far as it can reasonably be expected to do so) ensure that the biomass or bioliquid fuel it burns meets applicable Renewables Obligation sustainability criteria, whether or not Renewables Obligation Certificates are being claimed. Where appropriate, a requirement to this effect may be included in the development consent order.

Dell

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many contracts were awarded by his Department to Dell CSC in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not record this information centrally and would be available only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department's financial records show that in 2010 the Department paid Dell Corporation UK for one personal computer including software. No other payments were made to Dell from 2010 to 2012.
	The Department contracts with Fujitsu for Information Technology which includes the supply of Dell laptop computers.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department's top three policy implementation (a) successes and (b) failures have been since May 2010.

Gregory Barker: The policy implementation priorities of the Department of Energy and Climate Change can be found in the Department's Structural Reform Plan, progress against which is reported on the Government's Business Plan Website:
	http://transparency.number10.gov.uk/business-plan
	A broader look at implementation progress can be found in the Government's Mid-Term Review document:
	http://midtermreview.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/
	published on 7 January 2013, and the Programme for Government Update, published on 9 January 2013:
	http://midtermreview.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/programme-for-government-update/

Energy Companies Obligation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many (a) installations and (b) assessments have been completed under the Energy Company Obligation since October 2012.

Gregory Barker: Under ECO there is no requirement for suppliers to report on the number of assessments made. Ofgem, as the Administrator of the ECO scheme, will be providing monthly information on progress made against installation of measures by obligated energy suppliers. The first of these reports is due after energy suppliers have submitted to Ofgem at the end of February, and will cover all measures installed since last October. However, there is strong evidence that ECO activity is already under way, with company offers available in the market place and a number of partnerships between energy companies and local authorities—including in Bristol, Birmingham and Leeds—under way. The Government's Energy Savings Advice Service has also provided a significant number of referrals for Affordable-Warmth eligible customers, and the first legally binding auction on the ECO brokerage platform was successfully held on 15 January, selling packages of work to install hundreds of eligible measures over the coming months.

Energy Companies Obligation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when the Energy Company Obligation brokerage system will be in operation.

Gregory Barker: The Energy Company Obligation brokerage system is now in operation. The first auction was held on 15 January 2013, and ECO delivery worth over £1 million was successfully traded. Auctions will now be held fortnightly.

Energy Companies Obligation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many installations took place under the (a) Carbon Emissions Reduction Target and (b) Community Energy Saving Programme in each month from October to December 2012.

Gregory Barker: Delivery data on the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) and the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) is not published on a monthly basis.
	Both CERT and CESP ended on 31 December 2012 and the Ofgem final reports on the schemes, including installations undertaken in the last three months of 2012, will be published in May 2013.

Google

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many contracts were awarded by his Department to Google in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not record this information centrally and would be available only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department's Financial records show that no payments were made through the Department's financial system to Google from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2012.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to respond to the letter of 5 November 2012 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay regarding Energy Bill reform.

Gregory Barker: I have now replied to my hon. Friend, and I apologise for the delay in doing so.

Offshore Industry

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the Shell Kulluk rig accident in December 2012, if he will take steps to review the regulatory procedures of the UK oil and gas industry.

John Hayes: I am advised that the Kulluk, an Arctic-class drilling barge, was being towed from the Beaufort Sea in Alaskan Arctic waters back to Seattle following Shell's first drilling season in the region. Its tow vessel lost control during a harsh winter storm, resulting in the barge being grounded.
	As this incident is the subject of investigation by the US regulatory authorities, I would not wish to comment on the circumstances of the Kulluk's grounding. We will of course consider whether there are any implications for the UK regulatory regime from this incident once the results of such investigations are known. I would, however, note that the Kulluk was not engaged in drilling operations at the time of this event.

Offshore Industry: Arctic

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the Shell Kulluk rig accident in December 2012, if he will take steps to secure an agreement at global level on a moratorium on drilling for oil or gas in the Arctic Circle.

John Hayes: As it is currently the subject of investigation by the US regulatory authorities, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the grounding of the Kulluk or its implications.

Oracle

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many contracts were awarded by his Department to Oracle in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not record this information centrally and would be available only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department's financial records show that from January 2010 to 31 December 2012 payments were made to Oracle for Oracle licences. In 2010-11 payments were made for Oracle support and in 2011 a payment was made for an Oracle service contract.

Symantec

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many contracts were awarded by his Department to Symantec in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not record this information centrally and would be available only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department's financial records show that no payments were made through the Department's financial system to Symantec from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2012.

Xerox

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many contracts were awarded by his Department to Xerox in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not record this information centrally and would be available only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department's financial records show that, from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2012, the Department has paid Xerox for photocopier rental.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Sick Leave

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2013, Official Report, column 487W, on sick leave, when the revision of the House of Commons Service guidance on workplace stress began; when this work will be complete; what procedures are in place to involve hon. Members in drawing up the guidance; and what evidence has been considered so far on the usefulness of mindfulness practice in relieving workplace stress.

John Thurso: Work to revise the stress policy for staff of the House began in October 2011, and is scheduled for completion in late spring. As part of this work, the Safety, Health and Wellbeing Service has reviewed how mindfulness practice may be of use in relieving workplace stress. As the stress policy will form part of the House of Commons staff handbook, Members would not routinely be involved in the consultation process. The Head of Safety, Health and Wellbeing would be happy to discuss mindfulness-based therapies with the hon. Member.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Air Pollution

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department makes of emissions from appliances which are installed in smoke control areas; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 9 January 2013, Official Report, column 304W.

Government Procurement Card

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) staff and (b) special advisers in his Department have use of a Government Procurement Card.

Richard Benyon: As of 12 January 2013, 688 core DEFRA employees hold a Government Procurement Card (GPC).
	The GPC can only be issued to permanent civil servants employed within core DEFRA. Special advisers are classed as non permanent staff and therefore are not eligible to hold a GPC.

Horses: Disease Control

Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to tackle the spread of infectious equine diseases.

David Heath: The risk of incursion of equine diseases into the UK is low but ever present. We monitor disease outbreaks around the world to assess the risk of disease incursion through natural means, and work closely with the UK Border Agency to manage proportionately the risk of incursion from illegal imports. Should there be a disease outbreak, we have tried and tested contingency plans that are evidence based and regularly reviewed, developed in close partnership with delivery agents and stakeholders. The last confirmed case of exotic equine disease was in October 2012, where we acted quickly to prevent spread of equine infectious anaemia in south-west England.

Incinerators: Greater London

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had on the potential effects on human health in Newham of the operation of the South East London Combined Heat and Power incinerator.

Richard Benyon: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), has not held any discussions on the potential effects on human health in Newham of the South East London Combined Heat and Power incinerator.
	Energy from waste incinerators are regulated under environmental permits granted by the Environment Agency to meet the strict emissions standards of the waste incineration directive. The Environment Agency currently has no regulatory or compliance concerns regarding the performance of the South East London Combined Heat and Power incinerator and is not aware of any public health issues. Any potential effects on health would be a matter for the Environment Agency to assess in conjunction with the Health Protection Agency.

SCOTLAND

Meetings

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 
	(1)  how many meetings he and members of his Department had with Google in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(2)  how many meetings he and members of his Department had with Amazon in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(3)  how many meetings he and members of his Department had with Oracle in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(4)  how many meetings he and members of his Department had with Xerox in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(5)  how many meetings he and members of his Department had with Dell CSC in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(6)  how many meetings he and members of his Department had with Symantec in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

David Mundell: Scotland Office Ministers have not had any meetings with Google, Amazon, Oracle, Xerox, Dell CSC or Symantec in 2010, 2011 or 2012. An official had one meeting with Oracle in 2011 and one meeting with Google in 2012.

TRANSPORT

Bus Services

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with representatives from Greener Journeys in the last 12 months; and what areas of bus policy were discussed at each such meeting.

Norman Baker: Department for Transport (DfT) Ministers have had no one-to-one meetings with representatives from Greener Journeys in the last 12 months, however, have attended events such as the launch of the Buses and Economic Growth report in July 2012 and Party Conferences in September 2012.
	DfT officials have had 3 meetings with representatives from Greener Journeys in the last 12 months to discuss various aspects of bus policy, including the publication of their “Buses and Economic Growth” report.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has decided to run a public consultation exercise on the compensation provisions for those living on or near to the proposed route for Phase 2 of High Speed 2.

Simon Burns: When we announce our initial preferred route for Phase Two of High Speed Rail, we will also consult on an exceptional hardship scheme for those affected.

Railways: Bolton

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to help reduce overcrowding on commuter rail services serving Bolton.

Simon Burns: Additional carriages funded by the Department for Transport were made available to Northern Rail from December 2011 under the last High Level Output Specification (HLOS). These carriages are used to provide more places on peak services to and from the cities of Northern England.
	The Department is working with the railway industry to deliver additional capacity on services at Bolton station over the next few years. As set out in HLOS2, for Control Period 5 (2014-19), the route from Manchester to Preston via Bolton will be electrified enabling longer electric trains to operate on local services through Bolton.
	In February 2012, the Department reached agreement with First TransPennine Express for the introduction of 10 new electric trains that will come into service between Manchester and Scotland from December 2013.
	These four-coach electric trains will provide more seats on the popular Manchester to Scotland route. Initially the trains will run via Wigan but an increase in capacity between Manchester and Preston will provide operators with opportunities to reduce crowding on the line via Bolton.
	The Department is also working with Northern and Transport for Greater Manchester—who sponsor and specify local services in their area—on further schemes for train services between Manchester and Preston as the electrification of routes in the north-west takes place.

Southend Airport

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment his Department has made of the economic effect of London Southend airport.

Simon Burns: The Department for Transport has not produced its own assessment of the economic effect of London Southend airport. However, we fully recognise the contributions that airports such as Southend can make to local and regional economies, their important role in maintaining the UK's air connectivity, and their potential for helping accommodate forecast growth in demand for aviation in the UK. In this regard it is encouraging to note the recent developments at Southend airport, including the new railway station and terminal, and the successful launch of more commercial flights to an increased number of European destinations last year. Furthermore, the airport is extending its terminal to allow it to handle more passengers from 2014. These developments will benefit not only the airport but the area around Southend as well as the wider region.

TREASURY

Child Trust Fund

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many eligible children received the initial lump sum payment as part of the Child Trust Fund between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the average value of child trust funds (a) now and (b) in the year the owners turn 18 for each of the years the initial lump sum was payable for.

Sajid Javid: Every child trust fund holder between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011 received an initial Government payment to their account. Information on numbers of child trust funds held in each year, and on the value of these accounts, is published by HM Revenue and Customs at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ctf/stats.htm
	Child trust funds will mature between 2020 and 2029 as account holders reach age 18. No estimates have been made of the average future value of child trust funds on maturity. This future value will depend upon what further payments are made to these accounts and the investment growth they achieve.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he expects the private sector to provide funding for High Speed 2.

Danny Alexander: UK infrastructure is attractive to potential investors, and therefore it is to be expected that the Government will consider opportunities for third party funding and financing. The Government has made clear that it will explore the scope for third party funding and financing in relation to High Speed 2, but it is not currently at a stage in the process where it is possible to take forward detailed discussions with potential investors.

Income Tax

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of additional-rate of income taxpayers with annual incomes of (a) between £150,000 and £250,000, (b) between £250,000 and £500,000, (c) between £500,000 and £1,000,000 and (d) over £1,000,000 in each (i) nation and region of the UK and (ii) parliamentary constituency in the current and next financial years; and what the average change in annual income solely derived from the change in the additional rate of income tax in April 2013 will be in each category.

David Gauke: The information is as follows:
	(i) Estimates of additional rate taxpayer numbers by income range are published in Table 2.5 ‘Income tax liabilities by income range, 2009-10 to 2012-13’, and by country and region in Table 2.2 ‘Number of individual income taxpayers by marginal rate, gender and age, by country and region, 1999-2000 to 2012-13’, available on the HMRC website:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-statistics/table2-5.pdf
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-statistics/table2-2.pdf
	These statistics are based on the 2009-10 Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) projected in-line with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2012 Economic and fiscal outlook.
	(ii) Data on the number of additional rate tax payers at parliamentary constituency levels are not published.
	An estimate of the impact of reducing the additional rate of income tax to 45% broken down by region or income level is not available as the significant behavioural response associated with changes in personal tax rates is only estimated in aggregate.
	For more details see the HMRC report “The Exchequer effect of the 50 per cent additional rate of income tax”, available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/excheq-income-tax-2042.pdf

Multinational Companies: Company Accounts

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for International Development on the introduction of country-by-country reporting of financial information by UK-based multinational corporations.

David Gauke: The issue of country-by-country reporting has been extensively discussed with representatives from both civil society and industry in the context of the proposed EU accounting directive. The Government believes the best way to make progress in this area, is to support the EU proposals to improve transparency in the extractives (gas, oil and mining) and forestry sectors.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will be able to draw conclusions from the current PAYE real time information pilot about the ability of that system to support the accurate calculation of universal credit.

David Gauke: Under PAYE real time information (RTI) employers will report PAYE information to HMRC each time they pay their employees. RTI relating to universal credit (UC) claimants will be shared with Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) who will use the data to calculate the amount of credit due.
	The RTI pilot is going well and research findings indicate that the majority of employers have found it works well for them. HMRC is on track for around 6 million individual records covered by the RTI system by the end of March 2013. The pilot has also been successful in proving the technology works.
	A fully scoped test plan is currently in place to test the IT interface between DWP and HMRC, with the interface having been tested successfully last year.
	As the RTI pilot progresses through to national implementation from April, alongside the universal credit pathfinder from late April, HMRC and DWP are working closely together to monitor RTI returns, data quality and ensuring RTI data meets the needs of universal credit.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what level of hash matching accuracy in PAYE Real Time Information would meet the requirements for (a) tax calculation by HM Revenue and Customs and (b) universal credit calculation by the Department for Work and Pensions.

David Gauke: Hash matching provides HM'RC with an additional layer of assurance and allows comparisons to be made between the payment to the employee's bank account via Bacs under a service user number (SUN), and the net pay amount reported in a real time information (RTI) return. Successful hash matching is not a prerequisite for tax calculation. Many employees will be paid by payment methods other than Bacs under a SUN. Hash matching is not possible for these payments.
	Hashes included in RTI returns may be unmatched for a number of reasons. HMRC will analyse patterns on non-matching for PAYE schemes and feed this into the pool of risk assessment information used to target employer compliance activity.
	Similarly, hash matching accuracy rates will not effect individual UC calculations. However, DWP will use the information for risk assessment and high proportions of successfully confirmed payments will support more robust risk assessment by DWP.

Tax Avoidance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on extending Disclosure of Tax Avoidance Schemes requirements to subsidiaries of UK companies operating in developing countries; and whether he has considered proposals to introduce such measures.

David Gauke: I have received representations from various sources. DOTAS is highly specific to the UK in that the requirement to disclose is restricted to arrangements that fall within certain descriptions based in UK legislation, and cannot be applied to other countries' taxes. If a UK company is operating in another country and tries to avoid UK tax on the profits then DOTAS can apply provided the DOTAS 'hallmarks' are satisfied. The UK has held discussions with a number of countries who are looking to introduce their own disclosure rules to share our experience of DOTAS.

Taxation

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of people who (a) overpaid and (b) underpaid tax in each financial year since 2008;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the amount that was (a) overpaid and (b) underpaid in tax in each financial year since 2008;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of people who have been asked to pay back tax in this year following an underpayment or similar error in previous financial years.

David Gauke: This information is not available centrally, and could be researched only at disproportionate cost.

Taxation: Business

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on the effect of the taxation regime on medium-sized businesses; and what measures he plans to take following any such representations.

David Gauke: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of such representations.

VAT: Fraud

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of levels of VAT fraud; and what measures he is taking to tackle this problem.

David Gauke: HMRC's latest estimate of tax lost to VAT fraud is approximately £5 billion in 2010-11, which includes criminal attacks, evasion and the hidden economy.
	VAT fraud is a component of the total VAT tax gap which is estimated at £9.6 billion in 2010-11. This is published in ‘Measuring Tax Gaps 2012’:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-gaps/mtg-2012.pdf
	Estimates of the different components of the tax gap are tentative and subject to greater uncertainty than the overall tax gap.
	The Government underlined its commitment to tackling all forms of fraud, evasion and avoidance with its original reinvestment of £917 million over the four year period from April 2011 in HMRC. This will enable HMRC to better tackle fraud, evasion, avoidance and organised crime over the spending review period.
	On 3 December 2012, the Government announced they will provide a further £77 million in additional funding to enable HMRC to expand their anti-avoidance and evasion work. This investment will focus on evasion and avoidance by wealthy individuals and multinationals. It will cover the current Spending Review period, which finishes at the end of March 2015.

Winter Fuel Payments

Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely level of revenue to the Exchequer of (a) removing winter fuel allowance from people who pay the higher rate of income tax and (b) making winter fuel allowance taxable for recipients paying the basic income tax rate.

Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
	The estimates in the following tables are based on Department for Work and Pensions expenditure forecasts combined with information on the tax paid by older people from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs Survey of Personal Incomes.
	(a) The following table provides estimates of the expenditure associated with winter fuel payments, for higher rate taxpayers, assuming the 2012/13 payment rate of £200 for people that have reached women's state pension age and are under 80, and £300 for people aged 80 or over. The figures are expressed in cash terms and rounded to the nearest £10 million.
	
		
			 Support for older people, millions of pounds, cash terms 
			  Winter fuel payments expenditure for higher rate taxpayers 
			 2012-13 90 
			 2013-14 100 
			 2014-15 100 
			 2015-16 100 
			 2016-17 100 
		
	
	(b) The following table provides estimates of how much would be paid in income tax on winter fuel payments at 20% for basic rate taxpayers if the payments were not exempt from taxation, assuming the 2012/13 payment rate of £200 for people that have reached women's state pension age and are under 80, and £300 for people aged 80 or over. The figures are expressed in cash terms and rounded to the nearest £10 million.
	
		
			 Estimated reversion to Exchequer if winter fuel payments for basic rate taxpayers were subject to income tax, millions of pounds, cash terms 
			 2012-13 200 
			 2013-14 200 
			 2014-15 200 
			 2015-16 210 
			 2016-17 220

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Mali

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contingency plans her Department has to deal with an increase in the number of internal refugees in Mali as a result of the current military activity.

Alan Duncan: The UK is closely monitoring the humanitarian situation in Mali to ensure that needs are being met effectively and efficiently, and are liaising daily with the United Nations, non-governmental organisations and others to ensure that a comprehensive response takes place.
	The UK is currently providing urgent humanitarian aid (food, health are and clean water) to some 200,000 people directly affected by the Mali crisis, including those internally displaced.
	To date, we assess that the UK's recent contribution of £15 million for the Sahel region, of which £8 million is going towards supporting conflict-affected Malians, is adequately helping to address current identified needs. Should further unmet needs emerge, the UK stands ready to take further action including lobbying other donor governments to do more.

Mali

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had to co-ordinate the UK's humanitarian response in Mali with the military of France.

Alan Duncan: DFID does not directly co-ordinate its humanitarian response in Mali with the French Military. All UK humanitarian aid is being channelled through neutral and impartial humanitarian partners, who are best placed to meet the critical needs in Mali.

Mali

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had on the establishment of a humanitarian corridor to allow civilians to leave areas of military activity within the state of Mali.

Alan Duncan: The humanitarian international community have not so far initiated any discussion on the establishment of a “humanitarian corridor” to allow civilians to leave areas of military activity within Mali.
	The UK will continue to press for an immediate end to violence against civilians, and for full and unhindered access for neutral and impartial humanitarian agencies to help those in need.

Multinational Companies: Company Accounts

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent representations she has received from developing countries on the introduction of country-by-country reporting of financial information by UK-based multinational corporations.

Alan Duncan: The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening) has received no representations from developing countries regarding country-by-country reporting of financial information by UK-based multinational corporations.

Overseas Aid

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what research her Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated to investigate the links between energy and water policy.

Alan Duncan: The Government's Foresight Report on the Future of Food and Farming, which DFID and the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs sponsored, explored the critical linkages between food, water and energy policies. The links between water and energy will be a key element in understanding the future sustainability of energy supplies and water resources in the developing world.
	DFID's Water Security Programme is supporting the Water Partnership Programme to develop economic modelling to better investigate water energy linkages and policies in developing countries. DFID has also supported work on water and energy policies for river basins. For example the Ganges Strategic Basin Assessment evaluated the benefits and trade-offs of different approaches to delivering water and energy security to inform future policies and investments.

Overseas Aid

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether she anticipates that any countries that previously received aid from her Department but have had such aid cancelled will again receive aid from her Department in the next two years.

Alan Duncan: In the current spending review since implementing the conclusions of DFID's bilateral aid review, DFID has not cancelled all aid to any country.
	In this period DFID has suspended some bilateral aid to three countries: Rwanda, Uganda and Malawi. In Rwanda DFID did not release £21 million of general budget support scheduled for December 2012. The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), will return to the issue of general budget support to Rwanda later in 2013. In December 2012 DFID froze all UK aid spent through the Government of Uganda due to concerns that aid money may have been misused. With investigations ongoing it is too early to anticipate decisions on resumption. In Malawi DFID suspended general budget support in July 2011 due to economic and governance concerns. The Malawi Government has made good progress with reforms but it is too early to anticipate when general budget support will resume.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to ensure that improvements are made in water and sanitation provision in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Alan Duncan: We believe it is right to concentrate on where the need for water and sanitation provision is greatest and where progress may be in danger of stagnating. This is where our engagement will be most effective in transforming and improving the lives of the poorest people. As a result most of our water, sanitation and hygiene programmes focus on Africa and South Asia.
	DFID currently has water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programmes in 15 countries, nine of which are in Africa, and these are the principal routes through which we will deliver results. In addition, we will look to build on existing partnerships with a range of organisations such as the Water and Sanitation Program, Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor and WaterAid, as well as through exploring further options including new partnerships with the UN, civil society and the private sector.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding her Department allocated for water and sanitation initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa in the last year for which figures are available.

Alan Duncan: Full details of the Department for International Development (DFID) bilateral aid expenditure by sector is published in Statistics on International Development (SID) which is available online at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk
	The report for 2011-12 was published in October 2012.
	Details of the spending for Department for International Development (DFID) bilateral aid expenditure for the water and sanitation sector (by region) over the previous five completed financial years are as follows:
	
		
			 DFID bilateral expenditure by broad sector and region 2007-08 to 20011-12: Water supply and sanitation 
			 £000 
			   of which(1): 
			  Total bilateral programme Africa Asia Europe Americas Pacific 
			 2007-08 71,629 40,442 19,371 — 926 — 
			 2008-09 88,467 52,473 27,165 — 1,383 — 
			 2009-10 105,912 66,599 18,821 — 1,034 — 
			 2010-11 112,061 69,252 27,421 1,246 480 — 
			 2011-12 142,191 89,451 31,296 — — — 
			 (1)Regional data will not sum to the total as some sector information is not allocable by region.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to page 45 of the publication A Guide for licence holders on the Operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, what the definition is of the term household product.

Damian Green: holding answer 21 January 2013
	There is no authoritative definition of 'household product' in UK or European legislation. For the purposes of the current annual statistical collection, project licence holders are required to report the use of animals to test 'substances used in the household'. Where there is uncertainty, decisions on whether procedures should be recorded under this heading are taken on a case by case basis. No procedures were reported for this purpose in 2011, the latest year for which figures are available.

Asylum

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have (a) died, (b) given birth and (c) been found to be a victim of trafficking or torture while in the fast track detention process in each year since its inception.

Mark Harper: holding answer 5 December 2012
	The information is as follows:
	(a) Deaths within detention facilities are extremely rare and figures for deaths within the detained fast track process are not held in a format compatible with National Statistics protocols. Internal management information shows that since the inception of the fast track process two deaths of asylum seekers have occurred. One in 2004 and one in 2011.
	(b) No asylum seekers have given birth while in Detained Fast Track. Pregnant females may only be detained within the fast track process up until the 24 week of pregnancy.
	(c) We do not hold data regarding the number of applicants within the Detained Fast Track who have been found to be victims of trafficking or torture. However, once it is considered that there are reasonable grounds to believe that applicants may potentially be a victim of trafficking, the case is removed from the DFT process. It follows that those “found to be victims of trafficking” will already have been released much earlier and will not be in the process when they are so found.

Civil Disorder

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2013, Official Report, columns 648-9W, on civil disorder, if she will place in the Library the summary information record from the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner relating to applications for compensation following the civil disorder in 2011.

Damian Green: This data is not held centrally. Accurate information pertaining to applications for compensation following the civil disorder in 2011 can be obtained from Offices of Police and Crime Commissioners (OPCCs) and the Mayor's Office of Policing and Crime (MOPAC). OPCCs and MOPAC are responsible for assessing individual claims and paying compensation as they see fit under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886.

Crime: Lead

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent research her Department has commissioned on the potential effect of human exposure to lead on crime levels in the UK; and if she will place a copy of any such research in the Library.

Jeremy Browne: holding answer 18 January 2013
	The Home Office has not commissioned any research on the potential effects of human exposure to lead on crime levels.

DNA

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will instruct police forces not to require DNA samples as legislated for in the Crime and Security Act 2010 from those convicted solely of consensual acts which are no longer criminal.

Damian Green: Police forces are currently carrying out an exercise to take DNA samples and fingerprints from those with convictions for sexual offences who do not currently have DNA and fingerprint records on the national databases. Guidance issued to forces by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) in July 2012 clearly states that forces should not seek to obtain a DNA sample from those who have convictions relating only to consensual homosexual acts which are no longer criminal. The ACPO Criminal Records Office issued further guidance to forces on 15 January 2013 to emphasise this point.

Entry Clearances: Business

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average application processing time is for people wishing to obtain visas to participate on inward business delegations to the UK from (a) China, (b) the US, (c) Saudi Arabia, (d) Brazil, (e) Russia, (f) South Africa, (g) United Arab Emirates, (h) Jordan, (i) Canada, (j) Kuwait, (k) Libya, (l) Algeria, (m) Columbia, (n) Venezuela and (o) Argentina.

Mark Harper: The UK Border Agency does not hold data specifically for inward business delegations. Instead, we have provided management information on applications for business visit visas as this is the most appropriate visa category for business delegations.
	Argentinean, American and Canadian nationals are non visa nationals, so they may not require a visa to come to the UK depending on the nature of the delegations' work.
	
		
			 Business visit visa applications processed in calendar year 2012. 
			 Nationality Average processing time (days) 
			 Algeria 9.7 
			 Argentina 9.1 
			 Brazil 5.0 
			 Canada 5.6 
			 China 3.9 
			 Colombia 3.5 
			 Jordan 4.2 
			 Kuwait 2.9 
			 Libya 11.6 
			 Russia 10.4 
			 Saudi Arabia 2.3 
			 South Africa 4.2 
			 United Arab Emirates 3.2 
			 United States 5.2 
			 Venezuela 4.3 
		
	
	These data are based on internal UK Border Agency management information. It is provisional and subject to change.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many students who were interviewed out-of-country in 2012 as part of the visa application process had their visa application refused; what the (a) country and (b) region of origin was of those students; at what level they had planned to study; and what subjects they had planned to study.

Mark Harper: To provide accurate data to answer this question would incur disproportionate costs.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of overseas students based in the UK who were unable to return home in December 2012 as a result of delays by the UK Border Agency in returning travel documents to them.

Mark Harper: holding answer 15 January 2012
	The UK Border Agency received a total of 79 requests during December 2012 for passports for return travel. All these requests were completed and passports returned by 24 December 2012.

Illegal Immigrants: Employment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many business establishments in (a) the UK, (b) the East of England and (c) Essex have been visited by the UK Border Agency to investigate the employment of illegal foreign national workers in each year since 2008; and in which businesses such illegal workers have been found.

Mark Harper: The UK Border Agency does not collate information centrally on the number of illegal working enforcement visits specifically by the East of England or at county level. However, information is available relating to activity at a national level and at a regional level for Midlands and East of England combined.
	Since January 2008, the UK Border Agency has carried out the following number of illegal working enforcement visits:
	
		
			 Number of illegal working enforcement visits 
			  National total Midlands and East of England 
			 2008 7489 1052 
			 2009 5684 864 
			 2010 6530 1121 
			 2011 5488 1038 
			 2012 (1—) (1—) 
			 (1) Calendar year information not currently available 
		
	
	This is internal management information. It is provisional and subject to change.
	The UK Border Agency conducts intelligence led operations against a broad range of diverse businesses which may be knowingly or unknowingly employing people illegally.

National Wildlife Crime Unit

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding her Department plans to allocate to the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit in each of the next two financial years; and if she will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: holding answer 15 January 2013
	The Home Office will provide specific funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit of £136,000 for 2013-14. Total central Government funding to the police in England and Wales in 2013-14 will be almost £9 billion, demonstrating our continued commitment to protecting the public and tackling all types of crime.
	In addition, the police receive around a quarter of their total funding from the police precept component of council tax.
	No decisions have so far been taken in relation to funding in 2014-15.

National Wildlife Crime Unit

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to confirm the funding to be allocated to the National Wildlife Crime Unit for 2013-14.

Jeremy Browne: holding answer 21 January 2013
	The Home Office will provide specific funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit of £136,000 for 2013-14. Total central Government funding to the police in England and Wales in 2013-14 will be almost £9 billion, demonstrating our continued commitment to protecting the public and tackling all types of crime.
	In addition, the police receive around a quarter of their total funding from the police precept component of council tax.

Organised Crime

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent on tackling gang-related crime in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency, (b) Liverpool and (c) England and Wales in each of the last 10 years.

Jeremy Browne: holding answer 18 January 2013
	In the years 2003 to 2007, the Home Office did not allocate specific funding to tackle gang-related crime. Figures for funding allocated specifically to tackle gang-related crime in England and Wales and in Liverpool since 2007 are in the following table. The Home Office does not hold these figures at constituency level.
	The Home Office also paid unringfenced grants to local authorities to be spent on local community safety priorities which are not included here. Some of this money may have been used for gang-related activities, however we do not hold that information.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Funding stream England & Wales Liverpool 
			 2012-13 Ending Gang and Youth Violence 10 million 567,000 
			  Communities Against Guns, Gangs and Knives Fund 2.5 million 167,000 
			  Communities Against Guns, Gangs and Knives Programme 1.75 million 0 
			  Young People's Advocates Funding 400,000 0 
			  Total 14,150,000 733,000 
			     
			 2011-12 Communities Against Guns, Gangs and Knives Fund 2 million 126,000 
			  Communities Against Guns, Gangs and Knives Programme 1.75 million 0 
			  Total 3.75 million 126,000 
			     
			 2010-11 Tackling Knives Action Programme (TKAP) Phase 111 4 million (1)140,000 
			  Community Fund (for community based organisations working to tackle gun, knife crime and gangs) 1.5 million (1)137,000 
			  TOTAL 5.5 million 277,000 
			     
			 2009-10 TKAP Phase II 7 million (1)500,000 
			  Community Fund 1.5 million (1)134,000 
			  Total 8.5 million 634,000 
			     
			 2008-09 TKAP 7 million (1)416,000 
			     
			 2007-08 Tackling Gangs Action Programme 1.5 million (1)314,000 
			 (1 )Merseyside Note: All figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000.

Piracy

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress she has made on licensing firearms provision for private security contractors to protect vessels against piracy in international waters.

Damian Green: Arrangements are now in place for Private Maritime Security Companies (PMSCs) to apply to the Secretary of State for an authority under section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 to allow the use of armed guards on UK registered ships to protect against piracy in international waters.

Police: Pay

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the potential effect on recruitment numbers for new officers to the police of her acceptance of the recommendation by the Police Arbitration Tribunal to reduce the starting salary for police constables by £4,000 per annum; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), accepted the tribunal's recommendation that the starting salary should be between £19,000 and £22,000 depending on skills, relevant experience and local recruitment needs. Under this proposal, new constables will be able to reach the maximum pay more quickly than at present.
	Tom Winsor's Independent Review of Police Officer and Staff Remuneration and Conditions recommended a new pay scale after considering a range of evidence, including on recruitment and retention. Details of this are set out in the report.
	When this recommendation was considered in the formal negotiation machinery, where police officers and leaders are represented, evidence on recruitment and retention was again taken into account. The Police Arbitration Tribunal's report, which sets out the consideration of these issues, has been placed in the House Library.
	The Secretary of State considered the outcome of this process very carefully, in line with her statutory duties, before deciding to accept the recommendation.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Biomass: Safety

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent consideration he has given to the health and safety aspects of biomass plants with regard to the incidence of accidental fires associated with the use of different fuels.

Mark Hoban: Health and Safety Executive officials have recently joined in discussions between the Environment Agency, Chief Fire Officers Association, Wood Recycling Association and Tyre Recycling Association on good practice guidance on safe storage of combustible materials.

Correspondence

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of the response from the Minister for Disabled people to the letter of 3 January 2013 from the Director of Policy and Research at the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Esther McVey: I have been sent a copy of this letter by a number of hon. Members, and I can assure you that I will be replying shortly. I will, of course, be very happy to place a copy of my reply in the Library.

Disability Living Allowance

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions at what point, having changed his or her study arrangements, a student with cancer becomes eligible for disability living allowance.

Esther McVey: Being in employment or undertaking study or training does not affect eligibility to disability living allowance (DLA).
	Entitlement to DLA is not based on having a specific health condition, but depends on what help the person needs with personal care as a result of their disability and/or the extent of their mobility difficulties.

Employers' Liability

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of the current insurance arrangements of employers are registered with the Employers' Liability Tracing Office.

Mark Hoban: The Employers' Liability Tracing Office is a public company limited by guarantee. They advise in their 12 month report for 2011-12 that as of April 2012, there are 149 members, representing 99% of the employers' liability insurance market.

Employment and Support Allowance

Peter Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average proportion of claimants placed (a) without appeal and (b) after an unsuccessful appeal in the work-related employment and support allowance category at the initial assessment stage is for (i) England, (ii) Wales, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Northern Ireland.

Mark Hoban: The Department regularly publishes official statistics on employment and support allowance (ESA) and the work capability assessment (WCA), which can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca
	The publication and its supplementary tables present information on new claims for employment and support allowance in Great Britain, but not Northern Ireland which has its own benefit system. Supplementary table 6 shows the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) outcomes at the initial functional assessment split into reasons for assignment for Great Britain.
	For ESA claims made between October 2008 and February 2012, 21% have been placed into the Work Related Activity Group after appeal in England, 22% in Wales and 34% Scotland.

Employment and Support Allowance

Peter Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many appeals are pending for people who have been assessed for employment and support allowance.

Mark Hoban: The information is not readily available and has not previously been published as statistics.
	We will consider whether it is feasible to produce the statistics requested within the disproportionate cost limit, and if so, we will issue them in an official statistic release in accordance with the code of practice for official statistics.

Employment Schemes

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consideration he has given to including voluntary work with charities as a part of mandatory work activity.

Mark Hoban: The Mandatory Work Activity scheme involves jobseeker's allowance claimants being mandated to periods of work-related activity that are of benefit to the community. Contracted providers source these placements on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions and are obliged to ensure placements are of benefit to the local community. Because of this, some of the placements will be with charities.

Farms: Safety

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the likely level of farm injuries and fatalities in each of the next three years.

Mark Hoban: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not estimate future rates of fatal and non-fatal injuries in this or other sectors. HSE's concern is to work with the agriculture industry to reduce the currently relatively high rate of occupational fatalities and injuries.

Farms: Safety

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funding has been allocated to on-farm inspection for health and safety in each of the last five years; and how much has been allocated for each year to 2015.

Mark Hoban: The Health and Safety Executive does not allocate funding on the basis of sector-specific activities and therefore holds no records of the cost of farm inspections.

Farms: Safety

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many farm inspections for health and safety have taken place in each of the last five years; and how many he expects to take place in each year to 2015.

Mark Hoban: Prior to 2011-12, data on the numbers of inspections were not required as part of the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) performance measures and were therefore not collated. In 2011-12, HSE undertook 643 inspections on farms and the vast majority of these related to inspections undertaken following an investigation or where compliance with Health and Safety law was known to be poor.
	HSE does not routinely proactively inspect farms as this has not been found to be the most effective intervention technique and other approaches, such as holding Safety and Health Awareness Days are used instead. Therefore, no targets have been set for the numbers of farm inspections up to 2015.

Farms: Safety

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities on farms.

Mark Hoban: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recognises agriculture as a priority industry. In consultation with key industry stakeholders, it has developed an Agriculture Sector Strategy to address fatal and non-fatal injuries and work related ill health in agriculture.
	Working with the key farming stakeholders, HSE is supporting industry led Farm Safety Partnership (England) and the On-Farm Health and Safety Charter (Wales).
	In addition, HSE runs an annual programme in Great Britain of farming Safety Health and Awareness Days for farmers. These are a proven and trusted mechanism for promoting awareness and understanding of the risks and control measures in the industry and are well supported and received by the farming community.
	In the past two years, HSE has also reviewed and re-structured the agriculture web pages on its website making the advice more accessible, succinct and focused on what needs to be done to comply with the law. HSE has also launched an agriculture specific e-Bulletin. Published every two months, which is now received by over 14,000 farmers in Great Britain.

Farms: Safety

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of recent trends in the number of injuries and fatalities on farms.

Mark Hoban: Thirty-three fatal injuries to workers (employed and self-employed) were reported to the Health and Safety Executive in 2011-12. The average over the previous five years was 35.
	The main causes of fatal injuries include: moving vehicles; struck by a falling/moving object; contact with moving machinery; falls; injured by an animal, and drowning or asphyxiation. This profile has not changed in recent years but the relative ranking varies from year-to-year.

Housing Benefit: Halifax

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Halifax are in receipt of local housing allowance.

Steve Webb: The information requested for Halifax is available on a new visualisation tool, Stat-Xplore, at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool

Jobcentre Plus

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with (a) officials and (b) representatives of Jobcentre Plus on the criteria applicable to companies or individuals advertising job vacancies with Jobcentre Plus.

Mark Hoban: Monitoring tools have been built into the service which help to detect, deter and remedy inappropriate use of the site. There are no steps in place to vet employers as any individual or company could have a genuine requirement to post a job that they wish to fill. The service is designed to block known bogus/fraudulent employers from accessing the service. Also checks are made to identify inappropriate, fraudulent and bogus jobs in order to block them from being posted.
	In addition to this, employers are obliged to sign up to detailed Terms and Conditions, agreeing that the jobs they advertise on the Universal Jobmatch service are available to jobseekers on an open and fair basis; and that all vacancies comply with employment related legislation including the Equality Act 2010, Health and Safety legislation and Working Time Regulations.

Jobcentre Plus

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of Jobcentre Plus online services.

Mark Hoban: DWP regularly undertakes a series of activities to review the effectiveness of Jobcentre Plus online services as part of their approach to continuous improvement. There are numerous existing routes within DWP for customers to comment on online services; for example DWP Customer Complaints resolution process, Technical and Business Information Help Desks and the JSA online application enables users to submit comments relating to their experience of the service. These comments are reviewed on a monthly basis and are used to inform the content of future releases.
	DWP uses a range of analytical tools to monitor the performance and availability of its services, as well as capturing the customer's experience in using those services. DWP also conduct in-depth analysis on aspects of online services in order to gain a better understanding of customers and services, which informs improvements to online services.

Jobcentre Plus

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to ensure that companies and individuals advertising employment opportunities with Jobcentre Plus engage positively with candidates they reject.

Mark Hoban: Companies are able to provide feedback through the Universal Jobmatch service to jobseekers who have applied for their jobs. Jobseekers can also request feedback on their applications from employers.

Meetings

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many meetings he and officials of his Department had with Google in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(2)  how many meetings he and officials of his Department had with Amazon in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(3)  how many meetings he and officials of his Department had with Oracle in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(4)  how many meetings he and officials of his Department had with Xerox in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(5)  how many meetings he and officials of his Department had with Dell CSC in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(6)  how many meetings he and officials of his Department had with Symantec in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Mark Hoban: The Department publishes on a quarterly basis details of meetings between Ministers and external organisations; these can be found at the following link. Any missing information will be published in due course.
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/corporate-publications/ministers-meetings-overseas.shtml
	Information relating to meetings with departmental officials can be provided only at disproportionate costs.

New Enterprise Allowance: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency are in receipt of enterprise allowance.

Mark Hoban: We have published data on the number of new enterprise allowance (NEA) mentor starts and weekly allowance starts by local authority area. This can be found in the following table:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/adhoc_analysis/2012/Table_1_NEA_starts_by_Local_Authority.xls
	Due to small sample sizes, it is not possible to produce the numbers of mentor starts and weekly allowance starts at parliamentary constituency level.

Pay

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the potential effects on the cost of the welfare system of requiring employers to pay the living wage.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not available.

Personal Independence Payment

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2013, Official Report, column 326W, on personal independence payment, what the evidential basis is for his statement that his Department does not believe that disability charities will have to manage additional workloads.

Esther McVey: The introduction of personal independence payment does not introduce a statutory burden on charities, business or civil society organisations. We are aware that claimants may seek advice from voluntary sector organisations and recognise the valuable support charities provide. That is why throughout the design and development of personal independence payment we have put claimants and disability organisations, including charities, at the heart of our reforms. As stated in my reply of 9 January 2013, Official Report, column 326W, we will continue to work with charities supporting disabled people to help them prepare for the introduction of personal independence payment and beyond.

Personal Independence Payment

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department plans to conduct any further reviews of the personal independent payment system in respect of people with serious conditions such as multiple sclerosis; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: In December 2012 the Department published its final proposals for the assessment for personal independence payment and draft regulations. We have no further plans to carry out consultation activity on the assessment criteria.
	We recognise, however, the need to ensure that the assessment is operating fairly and as planned, and that it can be amended in light of operational experience. Therefore two independent reviews on the operation of personal independence payment assessment will be carried out within the first four years of its operation. We intend that the first will be completed by the end of 2014, to allow us to consider its findings and make any necessary changes before the majority of existing DLA recipients begin to be reassessed from October 2015. This will ensure that we can learn the lessons of our early experiences.

Poisons

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions have taken place with the EU on the use of rat poison and the prohibition of bromadiolone and difenacoum.

Mark Hoban: In December 2012, member states indicated that they were content with Commission Decisions on two applications from Germany to derogate from mutual recognition of biocidal products containing difenacoum, a powerful rodenticide. The derogations were to restrict difenacoum to professional users only in Germany. Similar discussions had taken place in April 2012 on applications from Germany, Denmark and Sweden to restrict difethialone (another powerful rodenticide) to professional users. These decisions do not impose any additional restrictions on the products being placed on the UK market.
	There has been no recent discussion in the EU on the prohibition of bromadiolone. In September 2012 the Standing Committee on Biocidal Products considered the inclusion of powdered corn cob in Annex I of the Biocidal Products Directive 98/8/EC, for use in rodenticide biocidal products. The vote failed to produce an overall qualified majority necessary for powdered corn cob to be included in Annex I so the matter has been referred by the European Commission to the Council and the European Parliament for their views.

Remploy

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  with reference to the announcement by the Minister for Disabled People on 6 December 2012 that 129 ex-Remploy staff have found alternative jobs, how many of those jobs are (a) paid jobs and (b) voluntary;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the average length of contract of those jobs;
	(3)  what the sectoral breakdown is of those jobs;
	(4)  how many of those jobs are on (a) fixed-term contracts and (b) permanent contracts.

Esther McVey: The new jobs into which disabled ex-Remploy staff have been placed are with a variety of major retailers as well as small and medium-sized enterprises operating across the retail, manufacturing and logistic sectors. The employees are working a range of hours to suit their individual needs and availability. However detailed information about salary levels or contracts is not available.
	Helping former Remploy employees into work is a key priority for the Department. Currently 162 former Remploy employees are in employment, and I am confident that the numbers will continue to increase.

Social Security Benefits: Brent

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the household benefit cap will be implemented in the London Borough of Brent.

Mark Hoban: The benefit cap will apply from 15 April 2013 in Bromley, Croydon, Enfield and Haringey local authority areas. It will be implemented in all other local authorities, including Brent, during summer 2013.

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of (a) working age and pensioner couples, (b) couples with children, (c) single persons with children, (d) couples without children and (e) single persons without children in (i) each region and nation of the UK, (ii) each local authority area and (iii) each parliamentary constituency who will be affected by the provisions of the Welfare Benefits Uprating Bill; and what the average change in weekly income is for each such category of people as a result of the bill.

Steve Webb: The figures available are provided in the following table, relating to the provisions only in the Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill and presented in a format consistent with that of the Up-rating Bill Impact Assessment. It is not possible to split households to this geographical level between working-age and pensioner couples due to small sample sizes. In addition, there is insufficient sample size to break the data down to a local authority or constituency level. Data for country and region within Great Britain have been presented, but data for Northern Ireland are not available.
	
		
			  Total number of families not affected (million) Total number of families affected (million) Average change for those affected (£ per week) Average change for those affected (% of net income) 
			 Couple with children     
			 North East 0.0 0.2 -3 -1 
			 North West and Merseyside 0.1 0.5 -3 -1 
			 Yorks and Humberside 0.1 0.4 -3 -1 
			 East Midlands 0.1 0.3 -3 -1 
			 West Midlands 0.1 0.4 -4 -1 
			 Eastern 0.1 0.4 -2 0 
			 London 0.2 0.5 -3 -1 
			 South East 0.2 0.6 -2 0 
			 South West 0.1 0.4 -2 0 
			 Wales 0.0 0.2 -3 -1 
			 Scotland 0.1 0.3 -3 -1 
			      
			 Single with children     
			 North East 0.0 0.1 -5 -2 
			 North West and Merseyside 0.0 0.3 -5 -1 
			 Yorks and Humberside 0.0 0.2 -5 -1 
			 East Midlands 0.0 0.1 -5 -1 
			 West Midlands 0.0 0.2 -5 -1 
			 Eastern 0.0 0.2 -5 -1 
			 London 0.0 0.3 -5 -1 
			 South East 0.0 0.2 -5 -1 
			 South West 0.0 0.2 -5 -1 
			 Wales 0.0 0.1 -5 -1 
			 Scotland 0.0 0.2 -5 -1 
			      
			 Couple without children     
			 North East 0.2 0.0 -3 -1 
			 North West and Merseyside 0.6 0.1 -3 -1 
			 Yorks and Humberside 0.5 0.1 -3 -1 
			 East Midlands 0.4 0.1 -3 -1 
			 West Midlands 0.5 0.1 -3 -1 
		
	
	
		
			 Eastern 0.6 0.0 -3 -1 
			 London 0.7 0.1 -3 -1 
			 South East 0.7 0.1 -3 -1 
			 South West 0.5 0.1 -3 -1 
			 Wales 0.2 0.0 -2 -1 
			 Scotland 0.4 0.1 -3 -1 
			      
			 Single without children     
			 North East 0.3 0.1 -2 -2 
			 North West and Merseyside 0.9 0.3 -2 -2 
			 Yorks and Humberside 0.7 0.2 -2 -2 
			 East Midlands 0.6 0.1 -2 -1 
			 West Midlands 0.7 0.2 -2 -2 
			 Eastern 0.7 0.2 -2 -2 
			 London 1.5 0.4 -2 -1 
			 South East 1.2 0.2 -2 -1 
			 South West 0.7 0.1 -2 -2 
			 Wales 0.4 0.1 -2 -2 
			 Scotland 0.8 0.2 -2 -2 
			      
			 All working-age couples (Great Britain) 6.1 5.1 -3 -1 
			 All pensioner couples (Great Britain) 3.0 0.1 -2 0 
			 Notes: 1. Numbers rounded to the nearest £1 or 1% or 100,000 as appropriate. 2. Figures may not sum due to rounding. Source: DWP Policy Simulation Model (based on FRS 2008-09), 2015-16 prices

State Retirement Pensions

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the Government white paper on pension changes published on 14 January 2013, what the position of those who have, or subsequently decide to, postpone the take-up of the state pension having reached the age of 65 under the facility providing a five year deferral would be; and how the new proposals in relation to the flat rate state pension will apply to them.

Steve Webb: Whether an individual falls into the single-tier or the current state pension system is dependent on the date they reach state pension age. People who reach state pension age prior to the implementation of the single-tier pension and choose to defer will continue to do so under the current rules. People will not be able to delay taking their state pension in order to bring themselves within the scope of the new scheme.

Unemployed: Travel

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card scheme; how many bus companies are accepting this card on their services; what level of public subsidy each bus company receives in each instance; and what the projected levels of (a) claimant participation, (b) bus company participation and (c) funding are for the next three years of the scheme.

Mark Hoban: The Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card and its predecessor the New Deal Reduced Rail Card has been predominantly used for rail travel via an agreement with the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC).
	Jobcentre Plus was approached by the Greener Journeys partnership to utilise the card as proof of eligibility for a free bus travel initiative “Bus for Jobs” throughout January 2013 only.
	The participating bus operators are entirely covering the cost of the free travel in January from their own resources and Jobcentre Plus funds the cost of the cards and issuing them to unemployed claimants.
	It is estimated that 100,000 Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount cards will be issued during the period of the initiative and full figures will not be known until the initiative has finished.
	The cost to Jobcentre Plus in supporting this initiative is £12,000 for the travel card and application forms. Adviser time to issue the cards is absorbed into the normal intervention funding. It is not possible to disaggregate the specific cost for the “Bus for Jobs” initiative.
	Participating bus companies can be found at:
	http://www.busforus.co.uk/
	The Department for Work and Pensions is not offering any financial subsidy to the bus operators for this initiative, but is aware subsidies will be paid through the Department for Transport Bus Service Operator Grant (BSOG) which is based on fuel consumed per mile and is not related to specific groups or number of passengers.
	We are viewing this initiative as an initial pilot to identify the potential of continuing bus travel discounts, however the decision on future bus travel discounts would be entirely with the bus operators as it currently is with the Association of Train Operating Companies for the rail travel.
	It is estimated that take up for the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card will increase, without any future bus travel discounts, due to the extension of eligibility for the card down to 13 weeks unemployment from November 2012. Cost estimates will therefore be increased and are estimated to be around £ 35,000 per year based on issuing 200,000 cards annually.

Universal Credit

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of lone parents working part-time who will be eligible for universal credit in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) each parliamentary constituency in Scotland.

Mark Hoban: Assuming that part-time work is defined as less than 30 hours of work per week, it is estimated that (a) 700,000 lone parents in part-time employment will be in receipt of universal credit in the United Kingdom once universal credit has been fully implemented.
	It is estimated that (b) 100,000 of these households will be in Scotland.
	This does not account for increases in employment from improved work incentives in universal credit.
	(c) The statistics are not available at parliamentary constituency level.

Universal Credit

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of second earners who work part-time in households with children who will be eligible for universal credit in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) each parliamentary constituency in Scotland.

Mark Hoban: Assuming that part-time work is defined as less than 30 hours of work per week, it is estimated that (a) 400,000 second earners in part-time employment in households with children will be in receipt of universal credit in the United Kingdom once universal credit has been fully implemented.
	This does not account for increases in employment from improved work incentives in universal credit.
	Due to data limitation, statistics for (b) Scotland and (c) at parliamentary constituency level are not available.

Work Capability Assessment

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to Employment and Support Allowance: Work Capability: Assessment Statistical Release, section 5.3, published January 2010, what progress he is making in developing data which will allow comparison of work capability assessment and incapacity benefit personal capability assessment results; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: On taking office this Government has focused its work on reviewing and refining the WCA to ensure that it is more effective, fairer for all claimants and, as a result, fairer for the taxpayer, rather than spending valuable analytical resource looking backwards to develop data analysing a system that clearly was not working.
	The Department regularly publishes official statistics on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and the WCA, which can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca
	Further the Department also publishes official statistics on the reassessment of incapacity benefits claimants for ESA, which can be found at:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_ibr

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 7 January 2013, Official Report, column 180W, whether he expects the final report of the Evidence Based Review to be published in (a) spring, (b) summer, (c) autumn or (d) winter 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: We expect the final report of the Evidence Based Review to be published in summer 2013.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2013, Official Report, column 725W, on the work capability assessment, how many of the people with Parkinson's disease who were found fit for work at their first repeat assessment appealed against that finding; and how many such appeals were successful.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not readily available. We estimate that the work required to produce this information would come at disproportionate cost to the Department.

Work Programme: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency who have been referred to the Work programme have found (a) part-time employment and (b) full-time employment since the inception of the programme.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not available.

Work Programme: Mental Illness

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of people who have been through the Work programme have been diagnosed with a mental illness.

Mark Hoban: Statistics on referrals and attachments to the Work programme by Primary Health Condition can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
	This data shows primary health conditions for employment and support allowance and incapacity benefit claimants only.
	Guidance for users is available at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Courts: Standards

Matthew Offord: To ask the Attorney-General what arrangements he has put in place to monitor procedures within HM Courts to ensure they operate efficiently, effectively and in accordance with Practice Direction.

Helen Grant: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
	HM Courts and Tribunals Service maintains a comprehensive control framework to provide assurance that it operates effectively and efficiently. The control framework includes mandatory processes, prescribed management checks and compliance reporting, with regular internal and external audit.
	The Audit Committee, which is chaired by an independent non-Executive Director reviews the effectiveness of the control framework and provides regular reports to the HMCTS Board. The Accounting Officer’s governance statement, which describes the control framework in more detail, is published in the HMCTS Annual Report and Accounts.

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General 
	(1)  how many complaints were made against the CPS in 2012; and how many such complaints were upheld;
	(2)  how many complaints about the CPS were referred to the Law Officer's Departments in each of the last three years; and how many such complaints were upheld.

Dominic Grieve: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) recorded 3,180 complaints in 2011-12 of which 341 were upheld. To date in 2012-13 the CPS have recorded 2,550 complaints of which 254 have been upheld.
	The Attorney-General's Office recorded 73 received complaints concerning the CPS in 2010, 79 complaints in 2011 and 68 complaints in 2012. Each complaint is handled individually in discussion with the complainant and the CPS and no central record is kept on the outcome of these complaints. Such information could be obtained only by reviewing each case file which would incur a disproportionate cost.
	The remaining Law Officers' Departments have no complaints regarding the CPS recorded in this period.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Attorney-General what the Law Officers' Departments' top three policy implementation (a) successes and (b) failures have been since May 2010.

Dominic Grieve: The Attorney-General's Office does not have discrete policy implementation responsibilities. However, the Office and the wider Law Officers' Departments continue to provide support to colleagues implementing policy across Government.

Serious Fraud Office

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many complaints were made against the SFO in 2012; and how many such complaints were upheld.

Dominic Grieve: The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) recorded 11 complaints in 2012, two were partially upheld. This figure reflects all complaints addressed to the complaints officer at the SFO and processed through its internal complaints procedure. However, a recent review of processes identified that one additional complaint had not been recorded centrally during 2012.
	The management board has recently agreed to establish a correspondence unit in the SFO which will ensure all complaints are recorded centrally and monitored in future.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Relations between Iran and Israel

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential consequences of the outcome of the Israeli elections on relations between Iran and Israel.

William Hague: We expect Iran’s nuclear programme to remain a major concern for the next Israeli Government. We continue to believe that the dual-track process of pressure on and engagement with Iran, led by the E3+3, offers the best hope of resolving the Iranian nuclear issue. We shall make our position clear to the new Israeli Government.

Foreign Conflicts: Parliamentary Voting

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on allowing Parliament to vote on the Government's position in respect of foreign conflicts.

William Hague: My view remains as set out in my statement to the House on 21 March 2011 that, wherever possible, Parliament should have the opportunity to debate, in advance, the commitment of UK forces to military action overseas. This has been the practice of this Government, as set out in the Cabinet Manual.

Burma: Human Rights

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the human rights situation in Burma; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: Government officials regularly monitor Burma’s human rights situation. During my visit to Burma in December, I called on the Burmese Government to find a long-term solution to tensions in Rakhine State, to end conflict in Kachin State, to review remaining political prisoner cases, and to sign up to international human rights treaties.

Global Food Prices

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with foreign governments on global food prices.

Mark Simmonds: The Government is engaged in multilateral discussions aimed at addressing high and volatile global food prices, most notably at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the G20’s Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS).

Multiannual Financial Framework

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the next stage of negotiations on the multiannual financial framework.

David Lidington: We continue to work closely with other EU member states to try to achieve a settlement, which would be agreed on the basis of a significant further cut from the figures that the Commission currently proposes, and to maintain and protect the United Kingdom’s rebate.

Christians in the Middle East

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the situation of Christians in Egypt, Syria and elsewhere in the middle east.

Alistair Burt: We urge Governments across the region to uphold the rights of all religious minorities but recognise particular pressure in a number of long established Christian communities. I am deeply concerned by the horror of the Syrian conflict: we want to see the human rights of all Syrians respected. In Egypt, we continue to encourage the authorities to revisit policies which discriminate on the basis of religion. We welcome the protection of Christians in their constitution for the first time.

Mali

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on British support for French intervention in Mali; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: We welcome the French military intervention which was made at the direct request of the Government of Mali. The UK is providing limited logistical support; two C-17 transport aircraft have been assigned, and a small detachment of technical personnel has deployed to Bamako airport to assist with the reception of UK aircraft. As the Prime Minister said on 21 January 2013, we propose to continue with the loan of the two C-17s and will be looking at other transport and surveillance assets that we can offer the French.

Eastern Congo

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with governments in the great lakes region on finding a solution to the conflict in eastern Congo.

Mark Simmonds: I visited the region in November and met with the Presidents and Foreign Ministers of Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). I underlined the importance of joint efforts to build a sustainable peace in the east of DRC and reiterated the UK’s commitment to providing support for these efforts.

Settlement Building: West Bank

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps his Department has taken to persuade the Israeli Government to cease settlement expansion in the west bank.

Alistair Burt: I condemn recent Israeli decisions to expand settlements. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) and I regularly express our profound concern that Israel’s settlement policy is losing it the support of the international community. We will continue to press the next Israeli Government to cease settlement building.

Adem Uzun

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to his Turkish and French counterparts to secure the release of the politician Adem Uzun.

David Lidington: The British Government has not made separate representations to the Turkish or French Governments to secure the release of Adem Uzun. Mr Uzun was arrested under French law and is subject to the French judicial system. It is not for the British Government to intervene in the French judicial process.
	We welcome recent progress by the Turkish Government in their negotiations with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) over a programme of disarmament. A key component of any solution to the Kurdish issue in Turkey is the permanent cessation of terrorist acts and improving rights for the Kurdish population.

Africa

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which African countries host a UK trade attaché.

Hugo Swire: There are trade attaches in 15 African countries who work to promote British exports and attract inwards investment to the UK. These countries are: Algeria; Angola; Egypt; Ethiopia; Ghana; Kenya; Libya; Morocco; Mozambique; Nigeria; South Africa; Sudan; Tanzania; Tunisia and Uganda.
	Over the last year the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has increased resources dedicated to prosperity work overseas, including in Africa. Officers are tasked with promoting the UK's commercial and economic interests, including support to British businesses in the following African countries: Cameroon; Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon; Guinea; Madagascar; Senegal and Sierra Leone.

Algeria

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the present state of political, cultural, trade and military relations with Algeria; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UK has strong relations with Algeria. Algeria has already embarked on a programme of political reform. As part of the first phase of this programme, the Algerian Government have passed laws covering media, civil society and participation of women in public life, and the conduct of elections. The UK. supports democratic reform in Algeria, in partnership with the Government and civil society, through our Arab Partnership programme.
	As part of the UK-Algeria Annual Dialogue, UK Ministers discuss a wide range of issues with their Algerian counterparts. During my visit of June 2012, discussions focussed on the ongoing reform process in the country, opportunities for Maghreb states to develop their economies through regional cooperation, and an increase in English language training. Regional security, including the situation in the Sahel, also forms a key part of this dialogue. This allows us to share our views and understanding of regional security issues and to work towards mutually beneficial goals. Algeria and the UK share a common position on non-payment of ransoms in the case of terrorist kidnaps.
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), covered all these issues when he met Algerian Foreign Minister, Mourad Medelci on 21 November. I also discussed the Sahel with the visiting Algerian Minister for Immigration on 29 November.
	Increasing trade and investment with Algeria is also an important part of our relationship. To reinforce this area of our relationship, the Prime Minister appointed Lord Risby, Envoy for Trade with Algeria who visited Algiers in December. In response, Algeria has appointed their current Minister for Energy as his counterpart. The Ministry of Defence regularly reviews its relationship with Algeria. This includes provision of English language for the military and building links through joint training and capacity building as appropriate. The British Council is also active in Algeria, teaching English and promoting links with British culture.
	Our bilateral cooperation with Algeria has been developing steadily across the full range of foreign policy priorities.

Brazil

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the present state of political, cultural, trade and military relations with Brazil; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: Political relations are strong between the UK and Brazil, underpinned by a series of annual government to government dialogues on trade, economics, energy, foreign policy, defence and the Olympics. There were an exceptional number of ministerial visits in both directions in 2012, including President Dilma Rousseff and the Prime Minister, which helped strengthen ties with Brazil and promoted a wide range of UK interests.
	Cultural relations are growing, assisted by 'UKBrasil', a season of events held across Brazil between September 2012 and March 2013. This programme, will reach over a million people, promoting the Best of Britain in education, culture, business and sport. The Brazilian Government's Science Without Borders programme wall see up to 10,000 science students studying in the UK over the next four years, bringing in £200 million to the UK economy, and taking their positive experiences back to Brazil.
	Our trade relationship is also growing. In 2011, exports to Brazil were worth £3.7 billion to the UK economy, on target to achieve our long term goal of doubling annual exports to £4 billion by 2015. London 2012 had a significant impact in Brazil, opening the door for many UK companies as Brazil prepares to host the Olympics and World Cup.
	We are deepening our defence and security cooperation with Brazil. A Maritime Systems Memorandum of Understanding signed during the Prime Minister's visit will allow the UK to showcase expertise and share experiences as part of our wider plans to develop a stronger and more strategic defence partnership with Brazil.

Burma

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken in response to the Burma Army's escalation of attacks against the Kachin Independence Army.

Hugo Swire: We continue to call for the immediate cessation of hostilities in Kachin State at every opportunity. As I said in my press statement on 3 January 2013, we remain deeply concerned by the ongoing conflict in Kachin State, and urge the military to heed their President's calls for an end to the conflict.
	I also raised our concerns with the Burmese Government during my visit to Burma in December 2012. The Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), repeated these calls during a House of Commons debate on 14 January. The British ambassador to Burma last raised our concerns with senior members of the Burmese Government on 16 January. It is important that all sides return to the negotiating table and make renewed efforts to work towards lasting peace.
	In response to the recent escalation of violence, the Department for International Development announced in December 2012 an additional £1.5 million of humanitarian support for people displaced by the conflict in Kachin State. UK humanitarian aid to people affected by the conflict in Kachin State now totals £3.5 million.

Burma

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage the government of Burma to allow unhindered access for international humanitarian assistance to displaced peoples in Kachin State and Northern Shan State.

Hugo Swire: We continue to call for unhindered humanitarian access to Burma's conflict-affected areas at every opportunity. I raised our concerns about aid access to Kachin and Northern Shan States with the Burmese Government during my visit to Burma in December 2012. The British ambassador to Burma met with senior members of the Burmese Government on 16 January to raise our concerns again.
	In response to the increased need, the Department for International Development announced in December 2012 an additional £1.5 million of humanitarian support for people displaced by the conflict in Kachin, including in hard to reach areas and neighbouring states, bringing our total humanitarian aid contribution to the conflict in Kachin to £3.5 million.

Burma

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to urge the Government of Burma to end its military offensive in Kachin State and engage in political dialogue and a peace process with the Kachin Independence Organisation.

Hugo Swire: We continue to call for an immediate cessation to the conflict in Kachin State at every opportunity. In my statement of 3 January I called for an end to hostilities, for improved humanitarian access to the conflict areas, and for both sides to return to the negotiating table and make renewed efforts towards a lasting peace. The British ambassador to Burma raised our concerns with senior members of the Burmese Government on 16 January, and met with an influential Kachin civil society leader on 14 January. During my visit to Burma in December, I made clear to the Burmese authorities the need to make progress on resolving the conflict in Kachin State and to move towards a lasting peaceful political settlement.
	We are actively supporting the reconciliation process. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has funded visits to Burma by negotiators from both Northern Ireland and from the Association of South East Asia Nations (ASEAN) region in order to share their experiences of peace processes and to give advice to all sides. The Department for International Development is now taking on and expanding the programme of support offered through UK negotiation and mediation experts.

Falkland Islands

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Argentinean counterparts regarding cruise tours which call at the Falkland Islands.

Hugo Swire: The Government has engaged a number of times in recent months with the Argentine Government on this matter, the ambassador in London, and has also worked closely with the cruise industry. I am pleased to report that in recent weeks the difficulties being experienced by cruise ships in Argentine ports appear to have eased, and cruise ships have resumed their visits to the Falklands. We continue to monitor the situation closely, and will not hesitate to take further action in the event that ships calling at the Falkland Islands suffer unacceptable delays or other problems in Argentine ports. We condemn unequivocally any efforts to damage tourism or other business activities on the Falklands. Regrettably such action damages the local Argentine economy as well as that of the Falkland Islands.

Falkland Islands

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage the Argentinean Government to stop attacks on companies who trade with the Falkland Islands.

Hugo Swire: In response to an incident in November 2012 in which the offices of a shipping company were attacked in Buenos Aires, the Government made clear to the Argentine Government that it expects it to take all necessary measures to prevent this unacceptable disruption to companies in Argentina supporting trade or tourism in the Falkland Islands. We are not aware of any further attacks having taken place since then. We continue to offer support to all companies working in the Falkland Islands themselves, not least by reassuring those in the hydrocarbons sector who have been in receipt of threatening correspondence from the Argentine Government, and by working with the cruise industry to secure their free passage in and out of Argentine ports.

France

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the recent killing of three Kurdish activists in France; and what representations he has made to his French counterpart on the killings.

David Lidington: The Government has received reporting from our embassies in Ankara and Paris on the shootings of three Kurdish activists on 10th January 2013. The Government has so far made no representations to the French Government, since investigations into this incident are underway and the outcome is not yet known. We fully support the efforts of Prime Minister Erdogan to find a political solution to the Kurdish issue.

G8

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that the G8 conference can take place in Enniskillen.

Hugo Swire: Regular meetings take place at official level between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Northern Ireland Executive to discuss the preparations for the G8 summit in Enniskillen in June 2013.

India

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the present state of political, cultural, trade and military relations with India; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: The UK and India have a close and wide ranging relationship. With particular emphasis on trade and investment, science, innovation, climate change, education, defence and cultural ties. India invests more in the UK than in the rest of the EU combined and we continue to help British businesses develop their operations in India with a view to doubling bilateral trade from 2010 levels by 2015. Our Army, Navy and Airforce conduct joint exercises and hold regular dialogues with their Indian counterparts and we have held productive discussions on counter terrorism and cyber security. The cultural ties between the UK and India , a fellow member of the Commonwealth underpins our relationship. The British Council has helped train over a million English teachers in India and our two Governments work to promote ties between our universities, museums and research institutions.
	The Government will continue to devote significant effort and resources to this crucial bilateral relationship. Three Ministers have visited India already in the first weeks of 2013 and the Prime Minister will lead a delegation of businesses to India later this year.

Malaysia

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the present state of political, cultural, trade and military relations with Malaysia; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: The United Kingdom's traditionally close relations with Malaysia have been strengthened following a sustained period of high level political engagement, including reciprocal visits by the Prime Minister and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib. Close cultural links are underpinned by the large number of Malaysians studying both in the UK and UK institutions in Malaysia. Our two Governments have agreed to work together to double bilateral trade by 2016 and increase investment, and British companies are keenly interested in the business opportunities Malaysia's strong economic growth provides. In the other direction, a Malaysian consortium is investing £8 billion to re-develop the Battersea Power Station site. Defence ties centre around our longstanding commitment to the Five Powers Defence Arrangements, with the UK deploying aircraft to participate in recent exercises alongside Australia, Singapore and New Zealand.

Morocco

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the present state of political, cultural, trade and military relations with Morocco; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UK has strong relations with Morocco. Morocco is engaged in a political reform process. A new constitution was approved in 2011 with an increased emphasis on human rights and democracy. The UK is supporting democratic reform in Morocco, in partnership with governments and civil society, through our Arab Partnership programme.
	UK Ministers discuss a wide range of issues with their counterparts in Morocco. During my visit in June 2012, discussions focused on the ongoing reform process, opportunities for Maghreb states to develop their economies through regional integration and an increase in English language training. Increasing trade and investment with Morocco is also an important part of our relationship.
	The British Council is active, teaching English and promoting links with British culture and the Ministry of Defence regularly reviews its relationship with all Maghreb states, building links through joint training and capacity building as appropriate.

Oman

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the present state of political, cultural, trade and military relations with Oman; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UK has strong relations across the board with Oman. His Majesty the Sultan of Oman visited the UK last summer and called on Her Majesty The Queen. He also met the Prime Minister.
	The Prime Minister visited Oman in December, and I will be visiting Oman in the coming weeks to chair the working group that meets regularly to strengthen relations between our two countries.

Overseas Trade

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps British embassies are taking to lobby foreign governments to create fair markets, absent of corruption.

Hugo Swire: The Government is committed to tackling corruption and creating a fair and open international trading system and a level playing field on which UK firms can compete. Our posts engage with their host governments in a variety of ways on the many aspects of corruption—from institutional capacity-building, to lobbying, to securing support for UK positions in multilateral institutions such as the UN, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Council of Europe. Recent examples of our bilateral engagement include: strengthening institutional dialogues and exchange of information with China and Vietnam; capacity-building projects in India and South East Asia; and lobbying for greater transparency in Hungary. In addition, Britain's role as Chair of the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group in 2012, current lead co-chair of the Open Government Partnership, and the focus on transparency in our presidency of the G8 show the importance we attach to this agenda.

Peru

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the present state of political, cultural, trade and military relations with Peru; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: The UK has increased its presence in Peru over the past two years, which has been warmly welcomed by the Peruvian Government. The UK and Peru work closely together on a wide range of areas including climate change and energy, economic development and trade, drugs and international crime, defence, and democracy and governance.
	The embassy in Lima works closely with local organisations to promote British cultural events in Peru, and to support visiting academics and exhibitions.
	We were concerned by the short notice cancellation of HMS Montrose's proposed visit last year. Ministerial discussions, including at Foreign Secretary level, have moved the relationship past this setback and visits in the latter part of 2012 by senior defence officials discussed cooperation across a range of defence and security areas.
	The UK is the second biggest foreign direct investor in Peru. We look forward to strengthening our economic ties through the upcoming EU-Andean Free Trade agreement, which will be another important tool to help our companies develop further business between the UK and Peru. We also look forward to welcoming the second In Peru trade and investment delegation to the UK later this year.
	The UK sees drugs as a shared threat and a key area for collaborative work and we share Peru's determination to win the fight against drugs.

PKK

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will delist the PKK as a terrorist organisation.

David Lidington: The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has been a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK since 2000. The EU proscribed the PKK as a terrorist organisation in 2002. We remain steadfast in our support for Prime Minister Erdogan's commitment to counter terrorism and welcome continuing efforts to reach a peace settlement.

Russia

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the present state of political, cultural, trade and military relations with Russia; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: As a fellow permanent member of the UN Security Council, Russia is an important global partner to the UK. We have sought to develop the kind of relationship where we work together on areas of mutual interest while standing firm on issues where we disagree. Current engagement includes through our G8 and Russia's G20 presidencies, sharing best practice from London 2012 ahead of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and seeking a deeper foreign policy dialogue over issues such as Syria, Iran and Afghanistan. Both governments are also committed to developing the commercial relationship. Russia is now the UK's eleventh largest export market with exports to Russia increasing faster than to any other major market. Lord Green led a trade delegation of 26 UK businesses to Russia in November with the objective of further developing trade links. To promote greater people to people links, 2014 has been designated as the UK-Russia Year of Culture. In addition, we engage with the Russians on a range of military issues, including our respective reform programmes. There are clearly well-known bilateral issues on which we do not agree, and we have deep concerns over human rights and the rule of law. We seek to make these concerns clear in our bilateral interactions at all levels, and seek to deliver and support projects which will improve the situation on the ground.

Saudi Arabia

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the present state of political, cultural, trade and military relations with Saudi Arabia; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UK has strong relations with Saudi Arabia. For a full description of the UK's policy towards Saudi Arabia may I refer my right hon. Friend to the evidence submitted by the Government to the Foreign Affairs Committee Inquiry into the UK's relations with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, which is available on the Committee's website:
	www.parliament.uk/facom

Tibet

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Tibet.

Hugo Swire: We continue to have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Tibet, including the large number of self-immolations. Our diplomats visited Tibetan regions of China in December 2012 to assess the situation on the ground. I issued a statement on 17 December urging the Chinese authorities to make every effort to resume meaningful dialogue with the Dalai Lama's representatives as the best way to achieve a long-term solution to underlying tensions. My statement also called on the Tibetan people not to resort to extreme forms of protest such as self-immolations. We believe a long-term solution depends on respect for human rights and genuine autonomy for Tibetans within the framework of the Chinese constitution.

Travellers

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2012, Official Report, column 276W, on Slovak Roma, if he will work with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to estimate the number of Roma families in England and identify potential funding streams from the European Union budget for support to and integration of Roma families entering the UK from the rest of the European Union.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is not in a position to make estimates about the number of Roma families resident in England. As the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the right hon. Member for Bath (Mr Foster), informed the right hon. Member on 14 January 2012, Official Report, column 505W, there are regular discussions between the FCO and the Department for Communities and Local Government to ensure that the UK plays an effective role in European level discussions on Roma integration. The EU budget and regulations governing EU funds in 2014-20 are currently being negotiated. Subject to the progress of these negotiations, the Government expects in 2013 to develop, and consult on, proposals for the delivery of these funds.

Tunisia

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the present state of political, cultural, trade and military relations with Tunisia; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The United Kingdom has strong relations with Tunisia. Since the Revolution, Tunisia has continued to make considerable progress on reform, with political pluralism and freedom of expression firmly embedded. But challenges remain, particularly meeting the demands of a highly expectant population and internal security challenges. The Constituent Assembly has progressed with drafting a new constitution, which we hope will serve to protect the rights of all Tunisians for generations to come.
	Through our Arab Partnership programme we have supported local and international NGOs to promote political participation, including women and youth, in partnership with the African Development Bank, we are helping young entrepreneurs turn business ideas into reality. We are also supporting development of free and independent media, including helping to transform the National Television into a public service broadcaster. During my visit to Tunis in December I visited the National Television where I was able to see first-hand the benefits being delivered through our valuable support.
	The Ministry of Defence regularly reviews its relationship with all Maghreb states, building links through joint training and capacity building as appropriate.

Turkey

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he plans to take to encourage peace talks between Turkey and Abdullah Ocalan.

David Lidington: The Government fully supports the recent decision taken by the Turkish Government to open negotiations with the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Abdullah Öcalan. A peace settlement which brings an end to the PKK's thirty-year long terrorist campaign will be welcomed by millions of Turkish citizens. We stand ready to advise the Turkish Government on the Good Friday Agreement negotiations should they ask us.

United Arab Emirates

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the present state of political, cultural, trade and military relations with the UAE; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UK has excellent relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), demonstrated by the visit of the Prime Minister on 5 November. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), the Chancellor of the Exchequer and I have visited over the last year. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, was in London for the Jubilee, and met the Prime Minister in June. The UK-UAE Taskforce was established in July 2010 with the aim of improving UK-Emirati relations across the board. His Excellency Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and I will chair the next UK-UAE Taskforce on 24 January in London.

CABINET OFFICE

Charities: Religion

Andrew Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the policy of his Department is on the granting of charitable status to religious groups.

Nick Hurd: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 31 October 2012, Official Report, column 217W.

Government Departments: ICT

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average cost to Government departments is per desktop computer for each full-time employee.

Nick Hurd: As a result of past decisions and legacy contracts signed prior to May 2010 this Government spends more on IT than comparable countries or private sector benchmarks. This Government is working to address this including by tracking, through the Quarterly Data Summaries, common areas of spend across Departments. All Departments now track expenditure on IT and report it to their boards. This Management Information, which includes spending data for the cost of running IT and desktop, will help drive efficiency across government.
	QDS returns for my Department are available here:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/business-plan-quarterly-data-summary
	For Q1 2012-13 the average reported cost of desktop per user was £204.

Military Decorations

John Glen: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether a Cabinet Office-led working group has been set up to consider the awarding of a national defence medal.

Nick Hurd: I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Colne Valley (Jason McCartney) and my hon. Friend the Member for Romsey and Southampton North (Caroline Nokes) on 26 November 2012, Official Report, column 95W.

Travel

Wayne David: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much has been spent on travel by the Deputy Prime Minister's Office in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13 to date.

Nicholas Clegg: Estimated costs on travel incurred by the Deputy Prime Minister's Office in 2011-12 are £99,400 and from April 2012 to November 2012 £29,000.

EDUCATION

Children: Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the factors influencing the well-being of children; and what steps it is taking to promote such factors.

Edward Timpson: The factors influencing children's wellbeing are complex, and include social, psychological and biological factors, such as physical health and genetic pre-disposition. Poor wellbeing can be exacerbated by parental mental ill-health, bad childhood experiences or economic deprivation.
	The Department has sought to support children's wellbeing through a wide range of measures. The early years support children's social and emotional resilience, through an updated Early Years Foundation Stage, an integrated health check at 2½ years to identify problems early, and a free entitlement to child care and family support from Sure Start Children's Centres.
	Schools are also responsible for how they support children in their care. We are building capacity in the voluntary sector so schools can access services they need with £3 million of funding over two years to the BOND consortium. We have also rolled out the successful Achievement for All programme, which has recently been extended until 2014. For 2011 to 2015 we have awarded the NSPCC a grant worth £11.2 million for investment in ChildLine and the NSPCC Helpline, alongside £11 million in grants to support families including through the Young Minds Parental Helpline.

Children: Social Services

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children have been removed from their parents by social services in each of the last 10 years.

Edward Timpson: Information on the number of children who have been taken into care in each of the last 10 years is provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Children who were taken into care during the years ending 31 March(1,2,3,4) 
			 Years ending 31 March 2003 to 2012 
			 Coverage: England 
			 Number 
			  2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 All children who were taken into care 7,970 7.560 7,750 7,710 7,720 7,440 8,180 9,580 9,560 10,100 
			 (1) Numbers have been rounded to the nearest the nearest 10. (2) Children who were taken into care are children who started to be looked after under a care order, police protection, emergency protection order or child assessment order. (3) Historical data may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments and corrections sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials. (4) Only the first occasion on which a child was taken into care in the year has been counted. Source: SSDA 903 
		
	
	A child is defined as being taken into care if they started to be looked after under a care order, police protection, emergency protection order or child assessment order.

Education

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will place a duty on local authorities to keep education, health and care provision under review.

Edward Timpson: The draft provisions which were published for pre-legislative scrutiny included a duty on local authorities to keep special educational provision and social care provision for children and young people with special educational needs under review. Health and Care provision should be kept under review through Joint Strategic Needs Assessments and the development of a Health and Wellbeing Strategy. There are already duties for these to be produced.
	Under the proposed SEN reforms, there will also be a new duty on local authorities to promote the integration of education, health and social care provision. This mirrors duties placed on health bodies in the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Health bodies and the local authority will be expected to come together to regularly assess local need and agree how it should be provided for, including through joint commissioning.

Education: Qualifications

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many pupils in each (a) local authority, (b) ward and (c) lower layer super output area did not achieve any qualifications by the end of key stage four in the latest year for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of pupils (a) in each local authority, (b) in each school, (c) of each gender, (d) who were eligible for free school meals, (e) who were in care and (f) of each ethnicity did not achieve any qualifications at the end of key stage four in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Elizabeth Truss: The tables provide information for pupils who did not achieve any qualification at the end of key stage 4 in 2011. A local authority breakdown is provided and national breakdowns for pupils of each gender:
	who were eligible for free school meals
	who were in care
	of each ethnicity
	The secondary school performance tables provide a wide range of performance information about schools; this includes the percentage of pupils in each school achieving at least one qualification, this information for 2011 can be found on our website here:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/cgi-bin/schools/performance/group.pl?qtype=NAT&superview=sec&view=aat&set=2&sort= &ord=&tab=54&no=999&pg=1
	It is not possible to provide the information requested at ward or lower super output area without incurring disproportionate costs. This is due to the time it would take to produce statistics for the indicator requested and the amount of suppression required in order to protect pupils' identity when providing statistics for lower level geographies.
	Provided in the following tables are details of statistics which the Department publishes which you may find helpful.
	A range of local area education statistics are published on the Department's “In Your Area” website. Ward level data showing the percentage of pupils gaining any GCSE or equivalent passes can be found by following the following link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/inyourarea/results/nat_921_wards_3.shtml#03
	A number of achievement indicators at key stage 4 are published at lower layer super output area level for the 2010/11 academic year on the Neighbourhood Statistics website at:
	http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/datasetList.do?JSAllowed=true&Function=&%24ph=60&Current Pageld=60&step=1&CurrentTreelndex=-1&searchString=&datasetFamilyld=1983&Next.x=15&Next.y=12
	
		
			 National information for pupils(1) who did not achieve any qualification at the end of key stage 4 
			 Year: 2010/11 (Final) 
			 Coverage: England (state-funded mainstream schools only(2)) 
			  Number of pupils who did not achieve any qualification As a percentage of all pupils at the end of key stage 4 in state-funded mainstream schools(3) 
			 Total number of pupils 2,299 — 
			 Males 1,333 0.5 
			 Females 966 0.4 
			 Of which:   
			 Eligible for free school meals 762 1.0 
			 Males 431 1.1 
			 Females 331 0.9 
			 Looked after for at least six months between the ages of four and 15(4) 106 2.9 
			 Males 51 2.9 
			 Females 55 3.0 
			 Ethnicity:   
			 White 1,971 0.4 
			 Males 1,107 0.5 
			 Females 864 0.4 
			    
			 Mixed 77 0.4 
			 Males 51 0.6 
			 Females 26 0.3 
			    
			 Asian 94 0.2 
			 Males 72 0.3 
			 Females 22 0.1 
			    
			 Black 69 0.3 
			 Males 46 0.4 
			 Females 23 0.2 
			    
			 Chinese (5)— (5)— 
			 Males (5)— (5)— 
			 Females 0 0.0 
			    
			 Other 44 0.7 
			 Males 35 1.0 
			 Females 9 0.3 
			    
		
	
	
		
			 Unclassified 42 0.7 
			 Males 20 0.7 
			 Females 22 0.8 
			 (1) Includes attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years. (2) State-funded mainstream schools include mainstream schools, CTCs, academies and free schools. (3) Pupils with the stated characteristic who did not achieve any qualification at the end of key stage 4 expressed as a percentage of all pupils at the end of key stage 4 in state-funded mainstream schools with that characteristic. (4) Pupils in all settings who at some point in the year to 31 March 2011 were looked after and had been looked after continuously for at least six months (note that this does not necessarily need to all be during that year). Includes pupils aged four to 15 on 31 August 2010 as collected on the 2010-11 Looked after Children Return from local authorities (SSDA903). (5) Figures not shown in order to protect pupil confidentiality. Source: 2011 Secondary School Performance Tables data (post-errata) 
		
	
	
		
			 GCSE and equivalent results of pupils(1) that did not achieve any passes at the end key stage 4 for each local authority and region 
			 Year: 2010/11 (Final) 
			 Coverage: England, state-funded mainstream schools only(2) 
			 Region/local authority LA/Region number Number of pupils at the end of key stage 4 in state-funded mainstream schools Number of pupils at the end of key stage 4 in state-funded mainstream schools who did not achieve any qualification As a percentage of all pupils at the end of key stage 4 in state-funded mainstream schools(3) 
			 England (State-funded mainstream(2)) E92000001 555,302 2,146 0.4 
			      
			 North East E12000001 28,620 117 0.4 
			 County Durham E06000047 1,106 5 0.5 
			 Darlington E06000005 5,335 4 0.1 
			 Gateshead E08000020 2,162 4 0.2 
			 Hartlepool E06000001 1,272 5 0.4 
			 Middlesbrough E06000002 1,559 15 1.0 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne E08000021 2,495 17 0.7 
			 North Tyneside E08000022 2,126 6 0.3 
			 Northumberland E06000048 3,598 29 0.8 
			 Redcar and Cleveland E06000003 1,825 7 0.4 
			 South Tyneside E08000023 1,713 6 0.4 
			 Stockton-on-Tees E06000004 2,192 5 0.2 
			 Sunderland E08000024 3,237 14 0.4 
			      
			 North West E12000002 78,302 328 0.4 
			 Blackburn with Darwen E06000008 1,789 6 0.3 
			 Blackpool E06000009 1,528 3 0.2 
			 Bolton E08000001 3,373 9 0.3 
			 Bury E08000002 2,181 6 0.3 
			 Cheshire East E06000049 3,812 8 0.2 
			 Cheshire West and Chester E06000050 3,793 21 0.6 
			 Cumbria E10000006 5,686 26 0.5 
			 Halton E06000006 1,429 3 0.2 
			 Knowsley E08000011 1,527 24 1.6 
			 Lancashire E10000017 12,648 51 0.4 
			 Liverpool E08000012 5,018 33 0.7 
			 Manchester E08000003 4,320 36 0.8 
			 Oldham E08000004 2,940 13 0.4 
			 Rochdale E08000005 2,404 10 0.4 
			 Salford E08000006 2,126 3 0.1 
			 Sefton E08000014 3,321 11 0.3 
			 St Helens E08000013 1,943 8 0.4 
			 Stockport E08000007 2,952 14 0.5 
			 Tameside E08000008 2,814 18 0.6 
			 Trafford E08000009 2,783 5 0.2 
			 Warrington E06000007 2,439 7 0.3 
			 Wigan E08000010 3,712 6 0.2 
			 Wirral E08000015 3,764 7 0.2 
			      
			 Yorkshire and the Humber E12000003 58,261 274 0.5 
		
	
	
		
			 Barnsley E08000016 2,583 8 0.3 
			 Bradford E08000032 5,629 51 0.9 
			 Calderdale E08000033 2,574 7 0.3 
			 Doncaster E08000017 3,482 12 0.3 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire E06000011 3,926 16 0.4 
			 Kingston upon Hull City of E06000010 2,557 4 0.2 
			 Kirklees E08000034 4,517 10 0.2 
			 Leeds E08000035 7,883 58 0.7 
			 North East Lincolnshire E06000012 1,851 18 1.0 
			 North Lincolnshire E06000013 2,012 8 0.4 
			 North Yorkshire E10000023 6,721 14 0.2 
			 Rotherham E08000018 3,438 6 0.2 
			 Sheffield E08000019 5,401 44 0.8 
			 Wakefield E08000036 3,926 15 0.4 
			 York E06000014 1,761 3 0.2 
			      
			 East Midlands E12000004 49,820 188 0.4 
			 Derby E06000015 2,782 10 0.4 
			 Derbyshire E10000007 8,667 28 0.3 
			 Leicester E06000016 3,306 18 0.5 
			 Leicestershire E10000018 7,379 26 0.4 
			 Lincolnshire E10000019 8,239 9 0.1 
			 Northamptonshire E10000021 7,768 34 0.4 
			 Nottingham E06000018 2,525 28 1.1 
			 Nottinghamshire E10000024 8,700 35 0.4 
			 Rutland E06000017 454 0 0.0 
			      
			 West Midlands E12000005 62,186 220 0.4 
			 Birmingham E08000025 11,871 35 0.3 
			 Coventry E08000026 3,378 6 0.2 
			 Dudley E08000027 3,733 14 0.4 
			 Herefordshire County of E06000019 1,855 5 0.3 
			 Sandwell E08000028 3,634 32 0.9 
			 Shropshire E06000051 3,184 6 0.2 
			 Solihull E08000029 2,981 10 0.3 
			 Staffordshire E10000028 9,217 28 0.3 
			 Stoke-on-Trent E06000021 2,549 18 0.7 
			 Telford and Wrekin E06000020 1,984 3 0.2 
			 Walsall E08000030 3,426 21 0.6 
			 Warwickshire E10000031 5,912 14 0.2 
			 Wolverhampton E08000031 2,515 15 0.6 
			 Worcestershire E10000034 5,947 13 0.2 
			      
			 East of England E12000006 63,623 257 0.4 
			 Bedford E06000055 1,792 5 0.3 
			 Cambridgeshire E10000003 5,893 38 0.6 
			 Central Bedfordshire E06000056 2,802 10 0.4 
			 Essex E10000012 15,701 69 0.4 
			 Hertfordshire E10000015 12,635 35 0.3 
			 Luton E06000032 2,383 4 0.2 
			 Norfolk E10000020 8,770 42 0.5 
			 Peterborough E06000031 2,220 13 0.6 
			 Southend-on-Sea E06000033 2,033 9 0.4 
			 Suffolk E10000029 7,644 29 0.4 
			 Thurrock E06000034 1,750 3 0.2 
			      
			 London E12000007 72,991 263 0.4 
			 Inner London E13000001 22,839 93 0.4 
			 Camden E09000007 1,467 10 0.7 
		
	
	
		
			 City of London E09000001 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Hackney E09000012 1,442 9 0.6 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham E09000013 1,035 (4)— (4)— 
			 Haringey E09000014 2,079 15 0.7 
			 Islington E09000019 1,317 3 0.2 
			 Kensington and Chelsea E09000020 567 0 0.0 
			 Lambeth E09000022 1,562 (4)— (4)— 
			 Lewisham E09000023 2,139 17 0.8 
			 Newham E09000025 3,297 18 0.5 
			 Southwark E09000028 2,283 10 0.4 
			 Tower Hamlets E09000030 2,534 (4)— (4)— 
			 Wandsworth E09000032 1,760 4 0.2 
			 Westminster E09000033 1,357 (4)— (4)— 
			      
			 Outer London E13000002 50,152 170 0.3 
			 Barking and Dagenham E09000002 2,038 10 0.5 
			 Barnet E09000003 3,354 12 0.4 
			 Bexley E09000004 3,211 7 0.2 
			 Brent E09000005 2,798 12 0.4 
			 Bromley E09000006 3,383 4 0.1 
			 Croydon E09000008 3,649 14 0.4 
			 Ealing E09000009 2,762 6 0.2 
			 Enfield E09000010 3,524 17 0.5 
			 Greenwich E09000011 2,241 16 0.7 
			 Harrow E09000015 2,102 8 0.4 
			 Havering E09000016 3,045 6 0.2 
			 Hillingdon E09000017 2,943 22 0.7 
			 Hounslow E09000018 2,568 5 0.2 
			 Kingston upon Thames E09000021 1,489 (4)— (4)— 
			 Merton E09000024 1,503 7 0.5 
			 Redbridge E09000026 3,216 10 0.3 
			 Richmond upon Thames E09000027 1,342 (4)— (4)— 
			 Sutton E09000029 2,592 5 0.2 
			 Waltham Forest E09000031 2,392 5 0.2 
			      
			 South East E12000008 86,814 319 0.4 
			 Bracknell Forest E06000036 1,080 0 0.0 
			 Brighton and Hove E06000043 2,260 13 0.6 
			 Buckinghamshire E10000002 5,410 10 0.2 
			 East Sussex E10000011 5,105 17 0.3 
			 Hampshire E10000014 13,598 42 0.3 
			 Isle of Wight E06000046 1,467 11 0.7 
			 Kent E10000016 15,827 78 0.5 
			 Medway E06000035 3,192 21 0.7 
			 Milton Keynes E06000042 2,653 (4)— (4)— 
			 Oxfordshire E10000025 6,087 17 0.3 
			 Portsmouth E06000044 1,873 10 0.5 
			 Reading E06000038 970 (4)— (4)— 
			 Slough E06000039 1,543 (4)— (4)— 
			 Southampton E06000045 2,005 9 0.4 
			 Surrey E10000030 10,488 45 0.4 
			 West Berkshire E06000037 1,950 8 0.4 
			 West Sussex E10000032 8,130 26 0.3 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead E06000040 1,504 (4)— (4)— 
			 Wokingham E06000041 1,672 0 0.0 
			      
			 South West E12000009 54,685 180 0.3 
			 Bath and North East Somerset E06000022 2,091 7 0.3 
			 Bournemouth E06000028 1,664 6 0.4 
		
	
	
		
			 Bristol City of E06000023 2,925 12 0.4 
			 Cornwall E06000052 5,702 22 0.4 
			 Devon E10000008 7,409 13 0.2 
			 Dorset E10000009 4,169 14 0.3 
			 Gloucestershire E10000013 6,714 17 0.3 
			 Isles of Scilly E06000053 19 0 0.0 
			 North Somerset E06000024 2,274 13 0.6 
			 Plymouth E06000026 2,825 6 0.2 
			 Poole E06000029 1,583 11 0.7 
			 Somerset E10000027 5,424 19 0.4 
			 South Gloucestershire E06000025 3,215 10 0.3 
			 Swindon E06000030 2,142 (4)— (4)— 
			 Torbay E06000027 1,454 (4)— (4)— 
			 Wiltshire E06000054 5,075 26 0.5 
			 (1) Includes attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years. (2) State-funded mainstream schools include mainstream schools, CTCs, academies and free schools. (3) Pupils not achieving any passes at the end key stage 4 in the named region/LA expressed as a percentage of all pupils in the named region/LA at the end of key stage 4 in state-funded mainstream schools. (4 )Figures not shown in order to protect pupil confidentiality. Source: 2011 Secondary School Performance Tables data (post-errata).

GCSE

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of (a) boys and (b) girls (i) of each ethnic group, (ii) who were eligible for free school meals, (iii) who were looked after, (iv) in each local authority, (v) in each ward and (vi) in each secondary school did not have a statement of special educational needs and did not achieve five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics but excluding equivalents in the latest year for which figures are available.

Elizabeth Truss: The tables providing national and local authority information for pupils who did not have a statement of special educational needs and did not achieve five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics but excluding equivalents in 2011 has been placed in the House Libraries.
	As requested National breakdowns have been provided for:
	boys and girls
	boys and girls, of each ethnic group
	boys and girls, who were eligible for free school meals
	boys and girls, who were looked after
	Local authority figures have been provided for boys and girls as requested.
	To provide this information at ward and school level would introduce disproportionate cost.
	A range of local area education statistics are published on the Department's 'In Your Area' website which you may find helpful. Ward level data on GCSE and equivalent results can be found at the following link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/inyourarea/results/nat_921_wards_3.shtml
	The Secondary School Performance Tables provide a wide range of performance information about schools; this includes the percentage of pupils in each school achieving five or more A*-C grades including English and maths GCSEs (including GCSEs only, therefore excluding equivalents), this information for 2011 can be found on our website here:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/cgi-bin/schools/performance/group.pl?gtype=NAT&superview=sec&view=aat&set=2&sor= &ord=&tab=52&no=999&pg=1

Human Trafficking

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will review the system of placing child victims of trafficking in local authority care.

Edward Timpson: Lone migrant children, including those that may have been trafficked, come into care, and then receive the full range of support and care that all looked after children are entitled to. Local authorities must allocate each child a social worker to assess his or her needs and draw up a care plan which sets out how the authority intends to respond to the full range of the child's needs. This includes ensuring they have the necessary legal and other support they need, including access to health, education and appropriate and safe accommodation, whether through a foster care arrangement, children's home, or supported accommodation. They also have an Independent Reviewing Officer to oversee their care arrangements, as well as access to an advocate and an independent visitor.
	Some local authorities are very effective in supporting these vulnerable young people, and others less so. We want all local authorities to come up to the standard of the best. The Government, with support from the Office of the Children's Commissioner, has commissioned a piece of work to examine the practical care arrangements for looked after children who have or may have been trafficked. This will identify good practice as well as issues to be considered.

Physical Education: Teachers

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much of the sum his Department has provided to fund secondary PE teachers for one day a week to work with local primary schools has been allocated to projects in (a) England, (b) the West Midlands, (c) Dudley Metropolitan Borough area and (d) Dudley North constituency in the (i) 2011-12 and (ii) 2012-13 academic year.

Edward Timpson: The sums of PE teacher release funding paid out to date are as follows:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Academic year 
			  2011/12 2012/13 
			 England 32,330,400 19,546,395 
			 West Midlands 3,800,000 2,304,894 
			 Dudley metropolitan borough 197,600 119,691 
		
	
	We do not have the figures separated out to constituency level.
	The figures quoted for academic year 2012/13 represent payments made to date. The final payment to local authority maintained schools and academies for the summer term will be made shortly after the start of April 2013, which falls in the next financial year.

Physical Education: Teachers

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average number of hours of training is in physical education provided to trainee teachers annually; and what consideration he has given to increasing the provision of such training.

Edward Timpson: The Department does not collect data on the hours spent by trainee teachers on PE. We are still exploring a range of measures to improve school sport with other Government Departments, including initial teacher training in physical education, and will make an announcement shortly.

Pupil Exclusions

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils under the age of 16 of (a) white British, (b) black Caribbean, (c) black African, (d) Pakistani, (e) Indian, (f) Bangladeshi and (g) other ethnic group origin were excluded from school in each year from 1997 to 2012.

Elizabeth Truss: Information for the years 1996/97 to 1997/98 (permanent exclusions only) and 2007/08 to 2010/11 is shown in the following tables. To provide further information on exclusions for pupils of compulsory school age only would incur disproportionate cost.
	Information on exclusions for pupils of compulsory school and above for the years 1998/99 to 2006/07 is published in a number of statistical publications. This published information for fixed period exclusions relates to the number of exclusions and not the number of enrolments. Data on fixed period exclusions was collected for the first time in 2003/04.
	Statistics of Education Schools in England 2000
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000192/index.shtml
	(Table 52—permanent exclusions in 1998/99)
	Statistics of Education Schools in England 2001
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000288/sie2001v2.pdf
	(Table 50—permanent exclusions in 1999/2000)
	Statistics of Education Schools in England 2002
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000359/sese2002.pdf
	(Table 51—permanent exclusions in 2000/01)
	Statistics of Education Schools in England 2003
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000417/index.shtml
	(Table 54—permanent exclusions in 2001/02)
	Statistics of Education Schools in England 2004
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000495/index.shtml
	(Table 54b—permanent exclusions in 2002/03)
	Permanent and Fixed Period Exclusions from Schools and Exclusion Appeals in England 2003/04
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000582/index.shtml
	(Table 7)
	Permanent and Fixed Period Exclusions from Schools and Exclusion Appeals in England 2004/05
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000662/index.shtml
	(Table 7)
	Permanent and Fixed Period Exclusions from Schools and Exclusion Appeals in England 2005/06
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000733/index.shtml
	(Tables 12 and 13)
	Permanent and Fixed Period Exclusions from Schools in England 2006/07—Amended
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000793/index.shtml
	(Tables 15 and 16)
	The latest published information on permanent and. fixed period exclusions is available in the 'Permanent and Fixed Period Exclusions from Schools in England 2010/11' Statistical First Release at
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001080/index.shtml
	
		
			 Maintained primary, maintained secondary and special schools(1, 2) 
			 Number of permanent exclusions by ethnic group for pupils aged five to fifteen(3, 4) 
			 1996/97 to 1997/98—England 
			  1996/97 1997/98 
			  No. of permanent exclusions(3, 5) % of school population(6) No. of permanent exclusions(3, )(7) % of school population(6) 
			 White 10,400 0.18 10,130 0.17 
			 Black Caribbean 760 0.76 750 0.76 
			 Black African 190 0.30 200 0.29 
			 Black Other 330 0.70 280 0.57 
		
	
	
		
			 Indian 80 0.05 110 0.06 
			 Pakistani 270 0.17 210 0.13 
			 Bangladeshi 60 0.09 60 0.09 
			 Chinese 10 0.04 10 0.05 
			 Any other ethnic group 330 0.29 320 0.26 
			      
			 All pupils 12,460 0.19 12,080 0.18 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. (3) Includes permanent exclusions from pupils aged 5 to 15 at the start of each academic year only. Pupils may be counted more than once if they moved schools during the year, or are registered at more than one school. (4) Ethnic group is as at the time of the January School Census each year. (5) Includes 27 permanent exclusions of pupils unclassified according to ethnic group. (6) The number of exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils aged 5 to 15 (excluding dually registered pupils) in each ethnic group as at January each year. (7 )Includes 6 permanent exclusions of pupils unclassified according to ethnic group. Note: Numbers may not appear to equal the sum of component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: School Census. 
		
	
	
		
			 State-funded primary, state-funded secondary and special schools(1, 2, 3, 4) 
			 Number of pupil enrolments with one or more fixed period exclusions by ethnic group for pupils aged five to fifteen(5, 6) 
			 2007/08 to 2010/11—England 
			   Pupil enrolments with one or more fixed period exclusion 
			   2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 
			   No.(5) % of school population(7) No.(5) % of school population(7) No.(5) % of school population(7) No.(5) % of school population(7) 
			           
			 White  162,070 3.19 152,300 3.06 138,710 2.82 132,380 2.72 
			  White British 155,230 3.21 145,220 3.07 131,950 2.83 125,640 2.73 
			  Irish 790 3.64 770 3.65 660 3.23 630 3.18 
			  Traveller of Irish heritage 320 8.20 320 8.14 320 7.93 350 8.42 
			  Gypsy/Roma 740 8.54 700 7.40 800 7.34 920 7.25 
			  Any other White background 4,980 2.46 5,290 2.37 4,980 2.17 4,840 2.06 
			           
			 Mixed  9,590 4.37 9,690 4.19 9,510 3.90 9,600 3.73 
			  White and Black Caribbean 4,840 6.48 4,770 6.24 4,680 5.94 4,650 5.73 
			  White and Black African 930 4.01 940 3.81 950 3.58 960 3.30 
			  White and Asian 1,070 2.39 1,120 2.33 1,090 2.11 1,140 2.05 
			  Any other Mixed background 2,750 3.59 2,860 3.49 2,790 3.21 2,860 3.12 
			           
			 Asian  9,990 2.00 9,960 1.92 9,690 1.81 9,210 1.66 
			  Indian 1,730 1.19 1,580 1.08 1,490 1.01 1,270 0.84 
			  Pakistani 5,370 2.65 5,300 2.51 5,250 2.40 5,070 2.23 
			  Bangladeshi 1,790 2.15 1,970 2.26 1,840 2.03 1,770 1.89 
			  Any other Asian background 1,100 1.61 1,110 1.52 1,110 1.42 1,100 1.32 
			           
			 Black  14,420 5.20 14,380 5.05 14,130 4.81 14,080 4.62 
			  Black Caribbean 6,030 6.88 5,980 6.88 5,750 6.66 5,560 6.53 
			  Black African 6,600 4.16 6,580 3.98 6,630 3.82 6,820 3.71 
		
	
	
		
			  Any other Black background 1,790 5.77 1,820 5.59 1,750 5.12 1,700 4.72 
			           
			 Chinese  160 0.75 140 0.62 130 0.58 120 0.56 
			           
			 Any other ethnic group  1,870 2.56 1,910 2.48 1,880 2.31 1,970 2.32 
			           
			 Unclassified(8)  4,450 — 3,690 — 2,950 — 4,290 — 
			           
			 Minority Ethnic Pupils(9)  42,870 3.23 43,140 3.10 42,080 2.92 41,720 2.79 
			           
			 All pupils  202,550 3.24 192,050 3.11 176,990 2.88 171,650 2.79 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes primary academies. (3) Includes city technology colleges and academies (including all through academies). (4) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (5) Includes pupils aged 5 to 15 at the start of each academic year only. Pupils may be counted more than once if they moved schools during the year, or are registered at more than one school. (6) Ethnic group is as at the time of the January School Census each year. (7) The number of pupil enrolments with one or more fixed period exclusion expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils aged 5 to 15 (excluding dually registered pupils) in each ethnic group as at January each year. (8) Includes pupils whose ethnic information was not sought or was refused or could not be determined. (9) Pupils who have been classified according to their ethnic group, excluding White British. Note: Numbers may not appear to equal the sum of component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: School Census 
		
	
	
		
			 State-funded primary, state-funded secondary and special schoos(1, 2, 3, 4) 
			 Number of permanent exclusions by ethnic group for pupils aged five to fifteen(5, 6, 7) 
			 2007/08 to 2010/11—England 
			   Permanent exclusions 
			   2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 
			   No.(5) % of school population(8) No.(5) % of school population(8) No.(5) % of school population(8) No.(5) % of school population(8) 
			 White  6,340 0.12 4,980 0.10 4,290 0.09 3,840 0.08 
			  White British 6,060 0.13 4,720 0.10 4,060 0.09 3,650 0.08 
			  Irish 40 0.19 30 0.12 20 0.12 10 0.05 
			  Traveller of Irish heritage 20 0.51 10 0.31 20 0.48 20 0.49 
			  Gypsy/Roma 50 0.57 40 0.38 40 0.34 40 0.30 
			  Any other White background 170 0.08 190 0.08 140 0.06 120 0.05 
			           
			  Mixed 450 0.21 360 0.15 380 0.16 360 0.14 
			  White and Black Caribbean 240 0.33 200 0.26 200 0.25 190 0.23 
			  White and Black African 40 0.18 20 0.10 40 0.14 40 0.12 
			  White and Asian 40 0.08 40 0.08 30 0.06 50 0.08 
			  Any other Mixed background 130 0.17 100 0.12 110 0.13 90 0.10 
			           
			 Asian  300 0.06 280 0.05 240 0.04 210 0.04 
			  Indian 40 0.03 40 0.03 30 0.02 30 0.02 
			  Pakistani 170 0.09 160 0.07 120 0.06 130 0.06 
		
	
	
		
			  Bangladeshi 60 0.07 50 0.06 60 0.06 30 0.04 
			  Any other Asian background 30 0.05 30 0.04 20 0.03 20 0.02 
			           
			 Black  690 0.25 540 0.19 590 0.20 440 0.14 
			  Black Caribbean 330 0.37 270 0.31 310 0.36 210 0.25 
			  Black African 260 0.16 190 0.12 210 0.12 170 0.09 
			  Any other Black background 100 0.33 70 0.22 80 0.22 60 0.17 
			           
			 Chinese  x x x x x x 0 0.00 
			           
			 Any other ethnic group  80 0.10 70 0.09 50 0.06 50 0.05 
			           
			 Unclassified(9)  210 — 260 — 100 — 150 — 
			           
			 Minority Ethnic Pupils(10)  1,810 0.14 1,510 0.11 1,490 0.10 1,240 0.08 
			           
			 All pupils  8,080 0.13 6,490 0.11 5,660 0.09 5,040 0.08 
			 x = Less than 5, or a rate based on less than 5 exclusions. (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes primary academies. (3) Includes city technology colleges and secondary academies (including all through academies). (4) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (5) Includes permanent exclusions from pupils aged 5 to 15 at the start of each academic year only. Pupils may be counted more than once if they moved schools during the year, or are registered at more than one school. (6) Figures relating to permanent exclusions for the years 2007/08 to 2009/10 are estimates based on incomplete pupil-level data. (7) Ethnic group is as at the time of the January School Census each year. (8) The number of exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils aged 5 to 15 (excluding dually registered pupils) in each ethnic group as at January each year. (9) Includes pupils whose ethnic information was not sought or was refused or could not be determined. (10) Pupils who have been classified according to their ethnic group, excluding White British. Note: Numbers may not appear to equal the sum of component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: School Census

Schools: Sports

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Gillingham and Rainham of 22 November 2012, Official Report, column 561W, on schools: sports, on what date an announcement on the range of other measures to improve school sport for young people is now to be made.

Edward Timpson: The Department is still exploring a range of measures to improve school sport with other Government Departments and will make an announcement shortly.

Schools: Sports

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent progress his Department has made on enabling community sports clubs to advertise their activities in schools.

Edward Timpson: We believe that it is for individual schools to choose what activities they promote. However schools are encouraged to work closely with their local community clubs to provide sporting opportunities for their pupils both in and out of school.
	To help support this, Sport England is investing £9 million between 2013 and 2016 to recruit at least one club link maker in each county sport partnership. Their role will be assist national governing bodies of sport to develop satellite clubs in schools—helping pupils make the transition from school to community sport.

Schools: Sports

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding will be made available to secondary schools to release P.E. teachers after August 2013.

Edward Timpson: When the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), announced the introduction of the PE teacher release funding for secondary schools in October 2010 he made clear that the funding would only be available for the two academic years 2011/12 and 2012/13.
	His expectation was that, beyond then, schools should have embedded this practice into their core provision.
	The Department is exploring a range of future measures with other Government Departments to improve school sport and will make an announcement shortly.

Schools: Sports

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the breakdown of PE teacher release funding for schools in the academic year 2012-13.

Edward Timpson: Every state maintained school (including academies, free schools and special schools) with 20 or more secondary-aged pupils will receive PE teacher release funding of £7,600 for the academic year 2012/13.

Schools: Sports

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of the funding in 2011-12 for PE teacher release has been spent by schools on releasing secondary school PE teachers one day a week.

Edward Timpson: The Department does not hold details of how schools have spent their PE teacher release funding. Although this funding was not ring-fenced, we gave clear guidance about its intended purpose. We trust head teachers to use their professional judgment about how best to spend the funding.

Special Educational Needs

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding was allocated to the (a) School Action and (b) School Action Plus programmes in each of the last five years.

Edward Timpson: School Action (SA) and School Action Plus (SA+) are key elements of the overall system that we require schools to use in identifying and providing for children with special educational needs (SEN).
	Local authorities support all schools in undertaking these requirements through providing delegated, notional SEN budgets. Each school's budget is determined by a local funding formula agreed with the Schools Forum.
	Different LAs apply different formulae, but most comprise factors such as levels of deprivation and prior attainment which closely relate to levels of SEN. Most do not include factors such as the numbers of children identified at SA or SA+, as this can act as a perverse incentive to over-identify.
	We do have information on the level of notional funding that is delegated to schools to support children with SEN. In 2012-13, this amount was £1.932 billion.

Special Educational Needs

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will place a duty on local authorities to consult children and families on the development of the local offer in the Children and Families Bill rather than in the accompanying statutory guidance.

Edward Timpson: The draft clauses of the Children and Families Bill relating to the reform of provision for children and young people with Special Educational Needs were published in September 2012. They set out proposals requiring local authorities to publish a local offer of services for children and young people with special educational needs. The local offer would set out what families can expect from local services across education, health and social care and the eligibility criteria for accessing those services where appropriate.
	It is important that local authorities consult and involve local children, young people and families when developing their local offer to take account of their needs and aspirations. It is clear within the draft legislation that local authorities would be required to involve children, young people and families in the preparation of the local offer.
	The Education Select Committee published the report of its pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft special educational needs provisions on 18 December. The Government will give careful consideration to the Committee's report and publish its response in due course. It will also take the Committee's report into consideration when framing legislation on children and families for introduction to Parliament.

Special Educational Needs

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the Evaluation of the SEND Pathfinder Programme Interim Evaluation Report published in October 2012, what recent assessment he has made of that Report's conclusion that most pathfinder areas were still working through the complexities of how to engage providers effectively to support development of the local offer.

Edward Timpson: The interim evaluation report on the pathfinder programme, published in October 2012, gave a snapshot of progress up to the end of June 2012.
	Since the report was published, pathfinders have worked hard to build capacity and establish positive working relationships across the voluntary, health, education and social sectors, as well as with children, young people and their families. This investment of time has been crucial in building consensus about what the local offer should contain and has allowed them to consult widely with interested parties.
	On 6 November 2012, I announced an 18 month extension of the pathfinder programme, to September 2014. Groups of pathfinders have been selected to accelerate testing in key areas (including the development of the local offer) and I expect the first draft local offers to be published by spring 2013.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Absenteeism

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the rate of absenteeism is in his Department; and what the cost to the public purse has been of such absence since May 2010.

Brandon Lewis: For the 12 months to September 2012, our absence rate was 6.0 average working days lost; this is lower than the civil service average of 7.6 days and below the private sector average of 7.1 (based on the CIPD20 measure). I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 7 November 2012, Official Report , columns 611-12W, on the steps we are taking to tackle such levels.
	Over the period May 2010 to December 2010, the Department spent an estimated £1,030,010 on sick pay arrangements; this compares to the Department's total pay bill of £109 million a year (in 2011-12).

Affordable Housing

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many affordable homes were built in England as a result of section 106 agreements in each of the last 15 years.

Mark Prisk: Statistics on the numbers of affordable home built through Section 106 agreements and without Government grant funding are published in Live Table 1000, to be found at the following link.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply
	The estimates exclude affordable homes built through Section 106 supported with grant funding. The figures show the numbers peaked in 2007 and 2008 at the height of the housing bubble and then fell back. This reflects the fact that a large number of Section 106 agreements were predicated on economic assumptions that were not sustainable.
	By helping renegotiate unrealistic deals, our reforms will deliver more housing and more affordable housing than would otherwise be. the case.

Car Allowances

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on mileage allowances since May 2010; and at what rate such mileage was paid.

Brandon Lewis: Reflecting our responsibilities for local government, housing, planning and communities, the work of the Department involves staff travelling to different parts of the country.
	We reimburse staff for the cost of travel at the prevailing HMRC mileage rates.
	Between 1 May 2010 and 31 December 2012, mileage costs totalled £302,888 representing 724,038 miles travelled by staff on departmental business over the two and a half years.
	Notwithstanding, I also refer the hon. Member to my answer to him of 9 January 2013, Official Report, column 280W, on the steps we are taking to promote the use of video-conferencing.

Community Infrastructure Levy

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many community infrastructure levy fees have been charged on single dwelling developments to date.

Nicholas Boles: This information is not centrally held.

Consultants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many full-time equivalent staff were employed on consultancy contracts in his Department on the latest date for which figures are available; how many such staff were employed on the same date 12 months ago; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: As at 30 November 2012, there were no full-time equivalent staff employed by my Department on consultancy contracts compared to 31.9 full-time equivalent staff that were employed on consultancy contracts on the same date in November 2011.
	The 31.9 full-time equivalent staff employed in 2011 were specialist roles: 16.4 staff on providing technical support for the Firelink radio system, and 15.5 staff for enhanced auditing of the European Regional Development Fund programme. These time-limited contracts have now ended.
	The data complies with definitions on consultancy laid down by the Cabinet Office.

Consultants

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on external consultants since May 2010; and for what types of costs such expenditure was made.

Brandon Lewis: My Department has made significant reductions to spending on consultancy costs, as the following table illustrates:
	
		
			  Amount (£) 
			 2008-09 41.5 million 
			 2009-10 36.6 million 
			 May 2010 to March 2011 13.8 million 
			 2011-12 4.3 million 
			 April 2012 to November 2012 923,000 
		
	
	The bulk of the 2010-11 spending was contractually committed under the last Administration, including consultancy on the last Administration's failed FireControl programme.
	More details of the spending over £500 (and from August 2012, over £250) can be found on my Department's website as part of our online transparency agenda.

Data Protection

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many occasions each Minister in his Department carried classified documents on public transport in the last 12 months for which information is available.

Brandon Lewis: This information is not held. Ministers handle official information in accordance with Government guidance.

EU Grants and Loans: Wales

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will discuss the effect of repatriation of EU structural funds with the Welsh Government.

Brandon Lewis: Ministers within the Department regularly meet and correspond with representatives of the Welsh Government to discuss a range of matters.
	I would note that there is a broader public debate about the future of EU Structural Funds, both in terms of the system that the European Union should adopt after 2020, and in terms of the United Kingdom's future relationship with the European Union.

Floods: Insurance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assistance his Department makes available for people affected by flooding who are uninsured.

Brandon Lewis: There is an agreement in place between the Government and the insurance industry to ensure that insurance remains available to those at flood risk to help prevent this from occurring. The agreement comes to an end in summer 2013 but negotiations. are under way with the industry to ensure that there is a suitable replacement.

Government Procurement Card

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the reduction in expenditure on government procurement cards in his Department between 2009-10 and 2011-12 led to an increase in other forms of expenditure.

Brandon Lewis: No.
	Overall departmental procurement supplier spend is falling by 54% from £273 million in 2008-09 to £126 million (projected) in 2012-13.
	While there is a role for electronic payments using such cards, under this Administration, my Department has introduced new internal checks and audit trails on the use of the Government Procurement Card, from pre-approvals to requiring post- transaction reporting. We have significantly reduced the number of card holders. Our transparency agenda of publishing spending data online has also increased internal and external scrutiny of every single transaction on such charge cards.
	Our departmental savings on such cards has been assisted by terminating ministerial group spending, as practiced by the last Administration at taxpayers' expense, on the likes of the Cinnamon Club, the Wolseley, Brasserie 44, Boisdales, Sky City Casino, Inn the Park, Mango Tree, Shepherds, Incognico, Buffalo Bar, Tantric Jazz, Mr Chu's China Palace and Fat Tuesdays.

Homelessness

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he has (a) taken since May 2010 and (b) plans to take in the next 12 months to tackle homelessness; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: At the beginning of this Parliament we established a Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness to tackle the complex drivers of homelessness. The group has published two reports so far: ‘Vision to end rough sleeping’ and ‘Making every contact Count’, which are available via the Department's website at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/vision-to-end-rough-sleeping--2
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/making-every-contact-count-a-joint-approach-to-preventing-homelessness
	We have since made common sense changes to the rules to enable local authorities to help families quickly into settled homes in the private rented sector and we are tackling affordability by increasing supply of affordable and market rent housing. And despite the difficult climate, we have invested £470 million over four years (2011-12 to 2014-15) to help local authorities prevent and tackle homelessness, rough sleeping and repossessions. We have also increased the discretionary housing payments pot to around £400 million over the spending period to help families and those in vulnerable situations with the transition of welfare reform changes.
	We supported the Mayor of London to develop the No Second Night Out scheme to ensure nobody new spends a second night sleeping rough on London's streets. The principles are being rolled out across the country backed by a new £20 million Homelessness Transition Fund.
	We have also supported the voluntary sector to develop a new service—Streetlink which offers a hand-up, rather than a handout. Streetlink provides a central point of contact that anyone who wants to get help for rough sleepers across England can call. The national telephone line (0300 500 0914) was launched last year.
	Over the next 12 months we will continue to invest in preventing homelessness and implement and develop policies via the Ministerial Working Group and our partners.

Housing: Construction

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average annual number of new homes built in England was between (a) 2000 and 2010 and (b) 2010 and 2012.

Mark Prisk: Statistics on house building by year can be found on my Department's website:
	www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building
	I would add this Government inherited a situation where house building under the last Administration had fallen to its lowest peacetime levels since the 1920s, thanks to the last Administration's 'boom and bust' handling of the economy and housing market.

Housing: East Yorkshire

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many houses were built in Haltemprice and Howden constituency in the last four years.

Mark Prisk: Data on house building by local authority district can be found in live table 253 at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building
	Data are collected only at local authority district level and are not available by parliamentary constituency.

Housing: East Yorkshire

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new homes which benefit from flood defences have been built in Haltemprice and Howden constituency in the last four years.

Mark Prisk: The number of new homes which have benefited from flood defences in Haltemprice and Howden in the last four years is not available centrally.

Housing: Fire Extinguishers

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of housing developed on the Olympic site will have fire sprinklers.

Don Foster: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Housing: Owner Occupation

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total number of owner-occupied homes was in England in each of the last 15 years.

Mark Prisk: Data on dwelling stock by owner-occupied tenure can be found in live table 104 at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants
	I observe that the last Administration had a target to increase home ownership by one million over the last Parliament (Labour party, “Britain forward not back”, 2005, p.78). Yet the number of owner occupiers in England fell by 302,000 from 2005 to 2010.

Local Government Finance

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 19 December 2012, Official Report, columns 103-4WS, on local government finance, what estimate he made of the effect of the local government finance settlement by (a) class of authority and (b) region in each year from 2014 to 2018.

Brandon Lewis: We have proposed a fair settlement for 2013-14 and 2014-15. The settlement allows local government to keep nearly £11 billion of business rates, and to keep the growth on that share of business rates providing a direct financial incentive to councils delivering growth. We estimate that the local retention of business rates could deliver around an extra £10 billion to the wider economy by 2020.

Local Government: Pay

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what guidance his Department issues to local authorities and local government bodies on senior executive pay;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on pay levels for senior executives in local government.

Brandon Lewis: Ministers within the Department for Communities and Local Government are in regular contact with colleagues from the devolved Administrations to discuss a range of matters.
	The Localism Act 2011 includes measures that require councillors to take a greater role in determining senior pay, ensuring that these decisions are taken by those who are directly accountable to local taxpayers. These measures are applicable to local authorities in England and Wales. The Act provides the Secretary of State with the power to issue or approve guidance to which authorities in England must have regard when exercising their functions on pay accountability. The Act provides the same power for Welsh Ministers in relation to Welsh authorities.
	Guidance for authorities in England can be accessed at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/openness-and-accountability-in-local-pay-guidance
	Guidance for authorities in Wales can be accessed at:
	http://wales.gov.uk/topics/localgovernment/finandfunding/publications/payaccount/;jsessionid=0EDA04B1E3C185F888B6310CEEFCSFBF?lang=en
	For authorities in England, the Secretary of State has been clear that authorities should ensure that local taxpayers have access to all the information they need to see how their money is spent on rewarding senior staff in local government. This includes the publication of information under the Code of Recommended Practice for Local Authorities on Data Transparency.

Market Towns

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to support market towns.

Mark Prisk: We are offering hundreds of towns in England—including market towns such as Barnsley—support that will help them revitalise their high streets and town centres. We have shared a multi-million pound fund among over 330 town team partners and 27 portas pilots. 100 of the most deprived high streets benefited from our High Street Innovation Fund, and we will be rewarding exceptional nominations from our High Streets X Fund.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the Government's Response to the Portas Review, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

Overpayments

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) number and (b) cost has been of duplicate payments made by his Department since May 2010.

Brandon Lewis: In “50 ways to save”, we asserted that councils could save money by conducting audits into potential duplicate payments and reforming accounts payable processes. This was based on research by Experian of both local and central Government bodies; a summary of their research can be found online:
	http://publicsector.experian.co.uk/~/media/PressReleases/Experian_procurement%20insight_October2010.ashx
	My Department quarterly undertakes such best practice, and from May 2010 to date, we have recovered £48,186 of taxpayers' money which had been paid out from duplicate payments; a sum of £257 was not recoverable. This sizeable saving endorses what we said in “50 ways to save”: systematically addressing duplicate payments is a common sense way of saving taxpayers' money.
	We believe there may be potential to make further taxpayer savings in our spending. Accordingly, my Department has commissioned business analytics and information services firm, PRGX, to carry out a full spend-recovery audit on our accounts payable system. This audit will analyse data on our finance system to identify unclaimed credits and duplicate payments on all supplier accounts and then to undertake the recovery of these amounts. We believe this will help save taxpayers' money and help us to further improve and reform administrative processes to stop such payments happening in the first place.
	Every Whitehall Department is now undertaking a spend-recovery audit; we would encourage local government to do the same.

Procurement

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has facilitated the collective buying of goods and services with other Government departments.

Brandon Lewis: Yes.
	My Department has facilitated the sharing of services for audit and estates functions with other Whitehall Departments and IT services with the Planning Inspectorate and is moving towards a shared service for legal advice. In addition we buy common commodities (travel, stationery and training for instance) with other Departments using centrally negotiated agreements. Beyond these arrangements my Department utilises central 'framework' agreements operated by the Government Procurement Service for services including consultancy and interim services.

Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many procurement officers are currently employed by his Department;
	(2)  how many civil servants in his Department regularly deal with procurement services;
	(3)  how many procurement officers in his Department have relevant procurement qualifications.

Brandon Lewis: We have interpreted the questions in relation to staff working under the direct management of the head of procurement.
	We currently have 18 permanent staff and two interims who regularly deal with procurement services and help oversee £155 million of departmental procurement spending in 2011-12. Among them, there are 11 permanent procurement staff who are Members of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, plus two civil servants who have Foundation Level qualifications and are studying for full membership.

Railways: Radlett

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst, made an assessment of the Radlett Rail Freight site proposal.

Nicholas Boles: My hon. Friend the Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) assessed the proposal in his capacity as a Planning Minister.
	Planning Ministers act in accordance with ‘Guidance on Planning Propriety Issues’, which is published at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/planning-propriety-issues-guidance

Railways: Radlett

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his letters of 19 September 2012 and 14 December 2012, for what reasons he has decided he can determine the Radlett proposal on the basis of the evidence before him.

Nicholas Boles: The reasons are set out in the decision letter of 14 December 2012.

Redundancy

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many civil service posts have been made redundant by his Department in each year since 1999; and what has been the cost of redundancies in each such year.

Brandon Lewis: My Department includes the cost and number of early departures in its published resource accounts. Figures for years up to and including 2011-12 are therefore accessible from these accounts.
	
		
			  Link Section 
			 2011-12 http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc1213/hc00/0050/0050.asp Note 7.3 (page 126) 
			    
			 2010-11 http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc1012/hc09/0971/0971.asp Note 8c (page 126) 
			    
			 2009-10 http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc1011/hc00/0086/0086.asp Note 3.18 (page 13) 
			    
			 2008-09 http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc0809/hc04/0449/0449.asp Note 20 (page 66) 
			    
			 2007-08 http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc0708/hc07/0791/0791.asp Note 20 (page 62) 
			    
			 2006-07 http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc0607/hc08/0836/0836.asp Note 18 (page 50) 
		
	
	Based on current budgets, the DCLG Group is making a 44% real term saving against its running costs over this spending review period by 2014-15. This equates to savings of over £570 million by 2014-15. This includes savings of around £420 million from the closure of the Government offices for the regions.

Redundancy Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total amount of redundancy pay paid to civil servants in his Department was in each month from July to December 2012.

Brandon Lewis: Figures on departure arrangements in 2012-13 will be published in our annual accounts in due course.

Repossession Orders

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he has taken since 2010 to reduce the number of home repossessions in (a) Southend, (b) Essex and (c) England.

Mark Prisk: Left unchecked, the last Administration's deficit would have forced up interest rates, meaning more expensive mortgages and other borrowing, more repossessions and fewer first time buyers; this would have been compounded by the fact that household debts were the highest in our history
	Under this Government, homeowners are benefiting from lower interest rates; we have effectively reduced the cost of mortgages thanks to the action taken to tackle the deficit: just a 1% rise in market interest rates would have added almost £100 extra on a typical family's mortgage bill each month.
	The Government is committed to working closely with lenders, debt advice agencies and local authorities to ensure that repossession is only ever a last resort and that effective help and advice for homeowners at risk of repossession is available.
	www.gov.uk/repossession/get-advice
	outlines the options available to households.
	A range of Government support is in place to help homeowners at risk of repossession. Targeted support includes the Department of Communities and Local Government-funded £221 million Mortgage Rescue Scheme, aimed at vulnerable homeowners at risk of repossession which has been improved to deliver better value for money for the taxpayer. Applications for the scheme are considered by local authorities across England as part of their duties to prevent homelessness. Support for mortgage interest, paid as part of DWP benefits, remains available to help eligible out of work households meet their monthly interest payments.
	The Department of Communities and Local Government announced £20 million funding for preventing repossessions in February last year which provides additional options for local housing authorities to tackle repossessions in their local area. Southend-on-Sea borough council received £39,875 for a Preventing Repossessions Fund which can be used to offer small interest free loans or grants to households at risk of repossession to address immediate short term financial difficulties and avoid households becoming homeless due to mortgage possession.
	The Council of Mortgage Lenders has reported that repossessions in the last full calendar year (2011) were at their lowest annual level since 2007. Moreover, in the most recent quarter (July to September 2012), repossessions were down 4% on the previous quarter and down 15% on the same quarter in 2011.

Shops: Empty Property

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the shop vacancy rate was in Barnsley Central constituency in each of the last five years.

Mark Prisk: My Department does not produce statistics on shop vacancy rates.

Staff

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in each of the last 12 months.

Brandon Lewis: We have interpreted recruitment agency fees to mean companies (third party suppliers) that we engage in recruiting permanent staff for the Department. Our procurement records show that there has been no expenditure with recruitment agencies in the last 12 months to September 2012.
	On outplacement agency fees, the following table sets out the expenditure made by the Department in each of the last 12 months to September 2012.
	
		
			 Outplacement Agency fees 
			 Month Amount (£) 
			 November 2011 1,080 
			 January 2012 1,740 
			 February 2012 36,780 
			 March 2012 720 
			 Total 40,320 
		
	
	Training
	It would involve disproportionate cost to identify spend on staff training in each of the last 12 months as this information is not readily available. Information on training spend is recorded under the wider heading of development. The total spend on development in the period October 2011—September 2012 was £737,000 in comparison to the total pay bill cost for 2011-12 of £109 million. This total covers a variety of vocational and non-vocational training as well as other development interventions, the scope of which is wider than staff training. The Department publishes data on training spend over £500 as part of the “Transparency in Government” agenda; details can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-communities-and-local-government/series/dclg-spending-over-250

Temporary Employment

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what amount his Department spent on interim staff as defined by the National Audit Office in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave today to the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones), PQ 135435. The answer uses the Cabinet Office definition for contingent labour (temporary staff) which includes admin and clerical agency staff, interim managers and specialist contractors.

Temporary Employment

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what costs his Department has incurred through employing agency staff since May 2010.

Brandon Lewis: As we stated in 50 ways to save, there is scope for savings from reducing spending on consultants and agency staff.
	My Department has cut spending on contingent labour from £17.4 million in 2008-09 and £14.4 million in 2009-10, to £4.0 million from May 2010 to March 2011 and down to £2.9 million in 2011-12. This represents a saving of £15 million a year (2011-12 compared to 2008-09).
	Across Whitehall, in 2011-12 alone, through the work of Efficiency and Reform Group, Government Departments reduced their spend on consultancy by 85%, saving £1 billion compared to 2009-10. This is in addition to £870 million saved on consultancy in 2010-11.

JUSTICE

Asbestos

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to ensure companies being pursued by a civil action for negligence in respect of asbestos-related illnesses do not cause unnecessary delay when admitting liability.

Helen Grant: On 18 December 2012, Official Report, column 95WS, the Government announced that we will consult on a package of reforms to improve and speed up the procedures governing mesothelioma claims. The consultation will be issued by spring 2013.
	The aim of the reforms is to ensure that claims for mesothelioma are processed and settled as quickly as possible and without unnecessary delays.

Aviation

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many air miles were accumulated by each Minister in his Department in 2012; how such air miles were used; and whether such air miles were donated to charity.

Damian Green: Any air miles accrued by the Department in respect of Ministers’ and officials’ travel are used by the Department towards the cost of official travel.

Bill of Rights

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  when he expects to respond to the Commission on a Bill of Rights' Report, A UK Bill of Rights?: The Choice Before Us;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the report of the Commission on a Bill of Rights; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Government is currently giving careful consideration to the Commission's final report which will help inform Government thinking in this area. No formal response will be made.

Data Protection

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions each Minister in his Department carried classified documents on public transport in the last 12 months for which information is available.

Damian Green: This information is not held. Ministers handle official information in accordance with government guidance.

DNA

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many criminals have been convicted following a review of their case made possible due to advances in DNA forensic testing in each of the last 10 years.

Jeremy Wright: Information held centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the Court Proceedings Database does not contain information about the circumstances behind each case, beyond the description provided in the statute under which proceedings are brought. It is not possible to identify from this centrally held information whether or not the offender was convicted following a review made possible due to advances in DNA forensic testing.

Drugs: North West

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in the north-west were convicted of drug offences in the north-west in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: The number of persons convicted of drug offences in the north-west of England, for the years 2007 to 2011 (latest available), can be viewed in the table.
	Court proceedings data for 2012 are planned for publication in May 2013
	
		
			 Number of persons found guilty at all courts for drug offences(1) in the north-west Government office region (GOR)(2) and England and Wales, 2007-11(3,4) 
			 Area 2007 2008(5) 2009 2010 2011 
			 England and Wales 44,565 52,941 56,831 61,979 60,569 
			 Of which:      
			 North-west 7,360 9,033 10,060 11,360 10,774 
			 (1) Includes sections 12, 13, 19(a), (b) Criminal Justice Co-Operation Act 1990, RR.6(5), 7, 8, and 9(2) Controlled Drugs (Drug Precursors) (Community External Trade) Regs 2008, Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 (ss.50(2), (3) and (5), 68 (2) and (4) and 170(1), (2), (3) and (4) and Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 ss.327-330, 333, 334 (1,2) and 336 (5) and (6). (2) Includes the following police force areas: Cheshire Cumbria Greater Manchester Lancashire Merseyside. (3) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (4) Every effort Is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (5) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

National Offender Management Service

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff at each grade have left the National Offender Management Service under the voluntary early departure scheme since May 2010.

Jeremy Wright: The number of staff who have left the National Offender Management Service between May 2010 and 30 September 2012 through a voluntary early departure scheme is 1,775, which equates to a full-time equivalent of 1,661. The breakdown of staff by grade is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Grade Headcount Full-time equivalent 
			 Operational Senior Manager B 12 12 
			 Operational Senior Manager C 13 13 
			 Operational Senior Manager D 22 22 
			 Operational Manager E 94 87 
			 Operational Manager F 110 102 
			 Operational Manager G 9 9 
			 Principal Officer 171 161 
			 Senior Officer 223 205 
			 Prison Officer 211 195 
			 Operational Support Grade 52 51 
			 Senior Civil Servant 6 6 
			 Non Operational Senior Manager B 11 11 
			 Non Operational Senior Manager C 8 8 
			 Non Operational Senior Manager D 71 66 
			 Non Operational Manager E 125 121 
			 Non Operational Manager F 103 96 
			 Non Operational Manager G 114 109 
			 Instructional Officer 26 26 
			 Nursing Grades 6 6 
			 Executive Officer 89 83 
			 Administrative Officer 112 95 
			 Industrial 112 108 
			 Substance Misuse Worker 9 8 
			 Personal Secretary 15 14 
			 Other Grades (five or fewer exits) 51 47 
			    
			 Total 1,775 1,661

Offenders: Assets

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  whether he has any plans to seize and sell the assets of offenders sentenced to community penalties;
	(2)  whether his Department (a) has commissioned and (b) is aware of research to determine what assets are possessed by offenders sentenced to supervision orders in the community, and the average value of such assets;
	(3)  what mechanisms will be used to determine the extent of assets of offenders sentenced to community penalties;
	(4)  what mechanisms will be used to determine whether the assets of an offender sentenced to a community penalty with an order that his or her asset be seized are stolen assets;
	(5)  what estimate he has made of the likely cost of bailiffs employed to seize assets of offenders who are given community penalties.

Jeremy Wright: In the consultation ‘Punishment and reform: Effective Community Sentences’, the Government sought views on whether to create a sentencing power to seize offenders’ assets. However, the responses to the consultation highlighted some difficulties with such a power and as a result, the Government decided not to take the proposal forward at this time. Instead, the Government introduced provisions in the Crime and Courts Bill to make it clear that when fixing the level of a financial penalty courts can require offenders to provide information about their assets as well as their income. In this way, courts will be able to take into account an offender's assets when setting the value of a fine.
	No research into offenders’ assets has been commissioned.

Prisoner Escapes

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders absconded from prison in each of the last three years; and what offences each such absconded offender was sentenced for.

Jeremy Wright: The annual number of absconds has reduced significantly over the last several years with the number of absconds in 2011-12 being at the lowest level since central records began. Of those prisoners who do abscond, the majority are quickly recaptured, returned to closed conditions and referred to the police for prosecution.
	The following table (Table 1) shows the number of absconds from prisons broken down by financial year for the last three financial years.
	
		
			 Table 1: Absconds from establishments, by year, from 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2012 
			  Number of absconds 
			 2009-10 269 
			 2010-11 235 
			 2011-12 175 
		
	
	The following table (Table 2) shows the number of absconders, by index offence and financial year for the last three financial years.
	
		
			 Table 2: Absconds from establishment, by index offence of the absconder and year, from 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2012 
			 Index offence 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Actual bodily harm 3 3 — 
			 Affray 2 2 — 
			 Aggravated vehicle taking 1 1 — 
			 Aggravated burglary 6 — 3 
			 Arson — 2 4 
			 Assault with intent to rob — — 2 
			 Attempt burglary 2 2 1 
			 Attempted murder 1 1 1 
			 Attempted robbery 4 6 4 
			 Attempted kidnapping — 1 — 
			 Attempted theft 1 — — 
			 Breach suspended sentence 1 — — 
			 Burglary 90 54 47 
		
	
	
		
			 Common assault 1 — — 
			 Conspiracy burglary 2 1 4 
			 Conspiracy robbery 2 3 5 
			 Conspiracy sup/drug 4 5 1 
			 Conspiracy defraud 1 3 1 
			 Criminal damage 3 — — 
			 Customs evasion (drugs related) 1 — — 
			 Death by dangerous driving 1 2 — 
			 Deception 1 — — 
			 Destroy/damage property — 1 — 
			 Drive while disqualified 1 — — 
			 Drug supply 2 — — 
			 Drunk/drive — — 1 
			 Death by reckless driving — — 4 
			 Excess alcohol — 1 — 
			 False imprisonment — 2 1 
			 False instrument — — 1 
			 Fraud 1 2 2 
			 Grievous bodily harm 3 6 6 
			 Handling stolen goods 2 3 — 
			 Holding warrant 1 — — 
			 Illegal immigrant/detainee 1 — — 
			 Import drugs — 1 1 
			 Import/export drug 1 — — 
			 Improperly importing goods — 2 — 
			 Indecent assault against female — 1 — 
			 Inflict grievous bodily harm 6 — — 
			 Kidnapping 1 — — 
			 Manslaughter — 2 2 
			 Murder 11 17 8 
			 None 1 — 1 
			 Other criminal offences 2 — — 
			 Other driving offences 3 — — 
			 Other theft 1 — — 
			 Possess drug 2 1 1 
			 Possess drug with intent 15 9 5 
			 Possess firearms with intent 5 6 2 
			 Possess offensive weapon 5 2 2 
			 Possessing a prohibited item — 1 — 
			 Possession of firearm 1 2 — 
			 Produce drug — — 1 
			 Rape 4 1 — 
			 Reckless driving 6 1 1 
			 Robbery 42 60 47 
			 Steal electricity — — 1 
			 Supply drug 6 4 2 
			 Taking and driving away 2 — — 
			 Taking without owners consent — 1 — 
			 Theft 8 8 1 
			 Threats to kill — 1 1 
		
	
	
		
			 Wounding — 2 — 
			 Wounding with intent 7 12 11 
			 Going equipped 2 — — 
			 Note: These figures have been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

Prisoners

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what projections of the (a) female and (b) male prison population for the next five years his Department has made in (i) decreasing sentencing, (ii) no change and (iii) increasing sentencing scenarios.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice produces annual projections of the prison population in England and Wales, most recently in November 2012. These project the prison population under three different scenarios based on the impact of three different sentencing trends, where:
	Scenario 1—where the number of custodial convictions and the average custodial sentence length decreases;
	Scenario 2—where the number of custodial convictions and the average custodial sentence length are unchanged from the previous year; and
	Scenario 3—where the number of custodial convictions and the average custodial sentence length increases.
	The following tables show the total projected prison population for males and females at the end of June from 2013 to 2018.
	
		
			 Projections for total male prison population (end of June figures) 
			  Sentencing scenarios 
			 As at June each year Scenario 1 Scenario 2 Scenario 3 
			 2013 79,100 80,600 82,300 
			 2014 78,100 80,300 82,800 
			 2015 77,200 80,500 84,000 
			 2016 76,600 80,800 85,000 
			 2017 76,700 81,300 86,100 
			 2018 76,600 81,600 86,700 
			 Note: All figures are rounded to the nearest hundred 
		
	
	
		
			 Projections for total female prison population (end of June figures) 
			  Sentencing scenarios 
			 As at June each year Scenario 1 Scenario 2 Scenario 3 
			 2013 3,900 4,100 4,200 
			 2014 3,800 4,000 4,100 
			 2015 3,700 4,000 4,200 
			 2016 3,700 4,000 4,200 
			 2017 3,700 4,000 4,300 
			 2018 3,700 4,000 4,300 
			 Note: All figures are rounded to the nearest hundred 
		
	
	More details on the projections may be found in the latest published bulletin “Prison Population Projections 2012-2018” Ministry of Justice Statistics Bulletin, 1 November 2012. This is available at the following webpage:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/statistics/prison-probation/prison-pop-projections/prison-pop-projections-2012-18.pdf
	These projections incorporate the expected impact from the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. This impact is applied equally to all three scenarios. These projections provide a set of “baseline” scenarios against which the impacts of future changes can be assessed.

Prisoners’ Release

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders serving sentences of (a) 12 months and under and (b) more than 12 months were released from prison in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012.

Jeremy Wright: These figures are published quarterly in the publication “Offender Management Statistics Quarterly Bulletin” and available via this link:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation/oms-quarterly
	The following table shows total discharges from determinate sentences for 2010, 2011 and from January to June 2012 (latest available).
	
		
			 Prisoners discharged from determinate sentences, by sentence length, on completion of sentence or on licence, England and Wales 
			 Sentence length band(1) 2010 2011 2012(2) 
			 Total 89,666 85,540 43,283 
			 Less than or equal to 12 months 48,901 45,683 22,547 
			 More than 12 months to less than life 40,765 39,857 20,736 
			 (1 )Excludes discharges following recall after release on licence, non-criminals, persons committed to custody for non-payment of a fine, persons reclassified as adult prisoners and deported prisoners. (2 )Total discharges for the year is not available; two quarters of 2012 (January to June) provided. 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners: Legal Aid Scheme

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been spent in total on legal aid for serving prisoners in England and Wales in each of the last five years; how much such aid had been spent on each (a) category of prisoner and (b) purpose of legal aid spending; whether the Government has any plans to reduce the amount of legal aid granted; and if any alternative means of pursuing legal matters will be available to prisoners in future.

Jeremy Wright: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) does not hold complete data on the category of prisoner receiving legal aid. However, the following table sets out spending by the LSC on prison law claims from 2007-08 to 2011-12, split by the claim type:
	
		
			 Prison law legal aid claims for the last five years 
			 Spend (£ million) 
			 Claim type 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Free standing advice and assistance 8.6 12.0 14.3 15.1 13.0 
			 Advocacy assistance (prison discipline hearings) 2.8 3.4 3.7 3.2 2.0 
		
	
	
		
			 Advocacy assistance (parole board hearings) 4.9 5.9 6.9 7.5 7.9 
			 Total 16.3 21.3 24.9 25.8 22.9 
		
	
	Reforms under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 are not changing the scope, eligibility criteria or remuneration to providers of the criminal legal aid scheme which includes legal aid for prison law. However, on 7 November 2012 the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), announced a review into aspects of the legal aid system that affect its credibility with the public.
	Legal aid is available for a range of matters related to prisoners' treatment, sentencing, disciplinary hearings and parole board reviews. However, prisoners also have access to the prisons complaints system, which is available for issues relating to life in prison. Should a prisoner not be satisfied with the outcome of a complaint he/she may refer the issue to the prisons and probation ombudsman, Independent Monitoring Board or the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration.

Prisoners: Suicide

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many prisoners were considered to be at risk of suicide in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(2)  what support mechanisms there are in prisons for prisoners considered to be at risk of suicide;
	(3)  how many people in prison considered to be at risk of suicide received additional support from the Prison Service in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(4)  how many prisoners in HM Prison Lincoln were considered to be at risk of suicide in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(5)  how many people in HM Prison Lincoln considered to be at risk of suicide received extra support from prison staff in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(6)  how many inmates of each prison in England and Wales committed suicide in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Jeremy Wright: The information is as follows:
	(1) There is no specific measure for those at risk of suicide because the intent of individuals self-harming is not always known. The latest available figures show that 6,623 individual prisoners self-harmed in 2010 and 6,854 in 2011 but very few of these would have intended to take their lives. The numbers for 2012 are not due to be published until April 2013.
	(2) The National Offender Management Service has in place a prisoner focused care planning system for those identified as at risk of self-harm or suicide. The system, Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT), has helped prisons to manage prisoners’ risk of self-harm and suicide since 2007. The vast majority of self-harm is not directly life threatening but nevertheless can be extremely distressing both for those affected by it and those who have to deal with it. There are no easy solutions to self-harm but we remain committed to managing and finding ways to reduce it.
	(3) Information on additional support provided to prisoners at risk of self-harm is not held centrally. The ACCT care planning process will identify any specific support needs of individual prisoners.
	(4) There is no specific measure for those at risk of suicide because the intent of individuals self-harming is not always known. The latest available figures for HMP Lincoln show that 78 individual prisoners self-harmed in 2010 and 95 in 2011. We currently publish the number of self-harm incidents by prison but not the corresponding numbers of individuals self-harming. Figures for 2012 will not be available until April 2013.
	(5) Information on additional support provided to prisoners at risk of self-harm is not held centrally. The ACCT care planning process at HMP Lincoln will identify any specific support needs.
	(6) Nationally, there were 58 self-inflicted deaths in 2010 and 57 in 2011. The numbers for 2012 are due to be published in April 2012.

Probation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much was spent on (a) staffing costs and (b) accommodation costs (i) in total and (ii) as a proportion of annual budget in the Probation Service in (A) 2010-11 and (B) 2011-12;
	(2)  how much was spent on (a) staffing costs and (b) accommodation costs (i) in total and (ii) as a proportion of the annual budget in each Probation Trust in England and Wales in each year of their inception.

Jeremy Wright: The following tables show total expenditure by probation trusts on staffing costs and accommodation costs for financial years 2010-11 and 2011-12, and individually by trust from their inception.
	Also shown is the proportion of these costs as a percentage of the total annual outturn expenditure incurred by Trusts against the funding allocated by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). It should be noted that trusts may also provide services to and be funded by other sources, and as such a comparison of staffing and accommodation costs against NOMS outturn costs may not fully represent the position. In addition the staffing costs recorded in the individual Probation Trust Annual Report and Accounts will reflect full expenditure by trusts including the provision of any services to other commissioning organisations in addition to NOMS. As a result, figures may not be directly comparable between trusts.
	
		
			 Probation trusts staffing costs 
			  2008-09 2009-10 
			 Probation trust Annual staff costs (£ million) Total outturn (£ million) Percentage of total outturn Annual staff costs (£ million) Total outturn (£ million) Percentage of total outturn 
			 Dyfed Powys 6.1 9.1 67 6.3 8.9 71 
			 Humberside 14.2 17.7 80 13.3 18.9 70 
			 Leicestershire and Rutland 13.3 14.8 90 12.8 15.3 84 
			 Merseyside 23.7 29.9 79 22.9 31.2 73 
			 South Wales 19.1 25.2 76 19.6 25.8 76 
			 West Mercia 11.6 15.8 73 11.4 15.6 73 
			 Greater Manchester n/a n/a n/a 42.5 53.6 79 
			 Lancashire n/a n/a n/a 18.0 24.3 74 
			 Total 88.0 112.6 78 146.8 193.6 76 
		
	
	
		
			  2010-11 2011-12 
			 Probation trust Annual staff costs(£ million) Total outturn (£ million) Percentage of total outturn Annual staff costs(£ million) Total outturn (£ million) Percentage of total outturn 
			 Avon and Somerset 17.1 20.2 84 16.3 19.4 84 
			 Bedfordshire 6.7 9.5 71 6.7 9.0 74 
			 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough 7.5 10.0 76 7.5 9.5 79 
			 Cheshire 11.6 14.9 78 10.7 14.3 75 
			 Cumbria 6.1 8.8 70 6.1 8.1 76 
			 Derbyshire 10.3 13.8 75 10.0 12.7 78 
			 Devon and Cornwall 15.5 19.5 80 14.3 18.3 78 
			 Dorset 7.8 9.2 84 7.3 8.7 84 
			 Durham Tees Valley 18.7 22.8 82 16.5 21.8 76 
			 Essex 14.2 19.3 74 14.0 18.6 75 
			 Gloucestershire 6.0 7.6 79 5.3 7.1 75 
			 Greater Manchester 43.4 51.4 84 39.0 48.0 81 
			 Hampshire 18.8 25.2 75 17.4 23.0 76 
			 Hertfordshire 8.5 11.5 74 8.0 10.9 74 
			 Humberside 14.3 18.3 78 12.4 15.7 79 
			 Kent 15.9 21.8 73 14.1 19.5 73 
			 Lancashire 17.8 22.7 79 17.9 23.2 77 
			 Leicestershire and Rutland 14.3 15.2 94 14.4 14.1 102 
			 Lincolnshire 7.4 9.2 80 7.2 8.8 82 
		
	
	
		
			 London 119.1 146.2 81 111.0 138.1 80 
			 Merseyside 25.2 31.9 79 21.6 29.0 75 
			 Norfolk and Suffolk 15.4 20.5 75 15.1 19.1 79 
			 Northamptonshire 7.2 9.0 80 7.1 8.7 81 
			 Northumbria 21.3 28.5 75 20.3 27.8 73 
			 Nottinghamshire 18.5 19.0 97 17.0 18.0 94 
			 South Yorkshire 20.0 25.4 79 17.9 23.6 76 
			 Staffordshire and West Midlands 59.9 72.5 83 56.0 68.6 82 
			 Surrey and Sussex 20.9 28.2 74 19.0 25.1 76 
			 Thames Valley 22.2 26.9 83 19.2 24.6 78 
			 Wales 38.2 53.8 71 37.6 52.4 72 
			 Warwickshire 5.6 6.9 81 5.5 6.6 83 
			 West Mercia 11.1 15.3 72 10.5 14.4 73 
			 West Yorkshire 33.4 42.4 79 31.4 38.4 82 
			 Wiltshire 5.3 7.5 71 4.9 7.0 70 
			 York and North Yorkshire 7.3 9.9 74 7.0 9.5 74 
			 Total 692.4 874.6 79 646.1 821.4 79 
		
	
	
		
			 Probation trusts accommodation costs 
			  2008-09 2009-10 
			 Probation trust Annual accom. costs (£ million) Total outturn (£ million) Percentage of total outturn Annual accom. costs (£ million) Total outturn (£ million) Percentage of total outturn 
			 Dyfed Powys 0.5 9.1 6 0.5 8.9 6 
			 Humberside 1.4 17.7 8 1.4 18.9 7 
			 Leicestershire and Rutland 1.4 14.8 10 1.7 15.3 11 
			 Merseyside 2.7 29.9 9 2.7 31.2 9 
			 South Wales 2.0 25.2 8 2.0 25.8 8 
			 West Mercia 1.4 15.8 9 1.4 15.6 9 
			 Greater Manchester n/a n/a n/a 5.4 53.6 10 
			 Lancashire n/a n/a n/a 1.9 24.3 8 
			 Total 9.5 112.6 8 17.1 193.6 9 
		
	
	
		
			  2010-11 2011-12 
			 Probation trust Annual accom. costs (£ million) Total outturn (£ million) Percentage of total outturn Annual accom. costs (£ million) Total outturn (£ million) Percentage of total outturn 
			 Avon and Somerset 1.8 20.2 9 1.7 19.4 9 
			 Bedfordshire 0.9 9.5 9 0.8 9.0 8 
			 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough 1.0 10.0 10 0.9 9.5 10 
			 Cheshire 1.5 14.9 10 1.4 14.3 10 
			 Cumbria 0.9 8.8 11 0.8 8.1 10 
			 Derbyshire 1.1 13.8 8 1.0 12.7 8 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1.4 19.5 7 1.4 18.3 8 
			 Dorset 0.9 9.2 9 0.8 8.7 9 
			 Durham Tees Valley 2.0 22.8 9 2.0 21.8 9 
			 Essex 1.3 19.3 7 1.3 18.6 7 
			 Gloucestershire 0.7 7.6 9 0.7 7.1 9 
			 Greater Manchester 5.2 51.4 10 5.1 48.0 11 
			 Hampshire 2.1 25.2 8 2.0 23.0 9 
			 Hertfordshire 0.9 11.5 7 0.9 10.9 8 
			 Humberside 1.4 18.3 8 1.2 15.7 8 
			 Kent 1.5 21.8 7 1.4 19.5 7 
			 Lancashire 1.9 22.7 8 1.9 23.2 8 
			 Leicestershire and Rutland 1.4 15.2 9 1.4 14.1 10 
			 Lincolnshire 0.7 9.2 8 0.7 8.8 8 
			 London 9.6 146.2 7 9.4 138.1 7 
			 Merseyside 2.6 31.9 8 2.6 29.0 9 
			 Norfolk and Suffolk 2.0 20.5 10 2.0 19.1 10 
			 Northamptonshire 0.8 9.0 9 0.8 8.7 9 
			 Northumbria 2.1 28.5 7 2.1 27.8 8 
			 Nottinghamshire 1.5 19.0 8 1.5 18.0 8 
			 South Yorkshire 2.0 25.4 8 2.0 23.6 8 
		
	
	
		
			 Staffordshire and West Midlands 6.5 72.5 9 6.2 68.6 9 
			 Surrey and Sussex 1.7 28.2 6 1.6 25.1 6 
			 Thames Valley 2.2 26.9 8 2.2 24.6 9 
			 Wales 4.1 53.8 8 3.9 52.4 7 
			 Warwickshire 0.7 6.9 10 0.6 6.6 9 
			 West Mercia 1.3 15.3 9 1.2 14.4 9 
			 West Yorkshire 3.4 42.4 8 3.3 38.4 9 
			 Wiltshire 0.5 7.5 7 0.5 7.0 8 
			 York and North Yorkshire 0.9 9.9 9 0.9 9.5 10 
			 Total 70.6 874.6 8 68.1 821.4 8 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are subject to rounding. 2. Six probation trusts were initially formed in year 2008-09; two further trusts in 2009-10; Dyfed Powys and South Wales Probation Trusts subsequently merged with North Wales Probation Board and Gwent Probation Board to form the Wales Probation Trust.. 3. Total outturn figures are expenditure recorded in the NOMS agency annual accounts. Income received by trusts from other sources is not included. 4. Accommodation costs for probation trusts are met centrally by the Ministry of Justice and then recharged to probation trusts based on the amount of space occupied within the whole estate. In the current year, 2012-13, this is based on an average cost of £178 per square metre per annum with separate charged apportioned for approved premises. The recharge recovers approximately 70% of the cost of the estate, the other 30% is borne centrally.

Probation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average caseloads of individual probation officers in each probation trust in England and Wales were in each year since the introduction of the trusts.

Jeremy Wright: Information is collected on the number of cases supervised by trusts and on the number of probation officers, and I refer the right hon. Gentleman to my replies to his recent questions on these subjects:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm130116/text/130116w0004.htm#13011670004930
	While it is possible to make a rough estimate of the average number of cases per officer using the figures for caseload and staff, this is unlikely to produce an accurate average caseload per officer as it would not take account of the fact that some probation officers do not have caseloads, for example those who are responsible for group work. This level of detail is not available centrally and could be obtained only from probation trusts at disproportionate cost.

Probation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to announce the budget for the Probation Service in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15.

Jeremy Wright: The overall budget allocated to Probation Trusts for 2012-13 is £814 million rounded to the nearest £ million. This amount reflects the total of the contract values agreed with each Probation Trust at the beginning of the year. It should be noted that, in addition to this amount, some funds are held centrally for specific offender related initiatives. These are not embedded in the budget and contract values and therefore excluded from the figure given.
	The Department has not yet set Probation Trust budgets for 2013-14 and 2014-15. Budgets will be set as part of the Department's regular annual budget allocation process. Allocations will be made on the basis of need and according to departmental priorities.
	Allocated budget amounts may vary throughout the financial year. Probation Trusts may also receive income from elsewhere.

Rape

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were tried for rape offences in England and Wales in each year from 1997 to the latest year for which figures are available; and how many such people were convicted.

Jeremy Wright: The number of defendants tried and found guilty at the Crown court for rape offences in England and Wales, from 1997 to 2011, can be viewed in the table.
	
		
			 Defendants tried and found guilty at the Crown court for rape(1 )offences, England and Wales, 1997-2011(2, 3, 4) 
			  Total tried Found guilty 
			 1997 1,249 615 
			 1998 1,518 674 
			 1999 1,464 654 
			 2000 1,373 593 
			 2001 1,352 569 
			 2002 1,059 651 
			 2003 1,687 671 
			 2004 1,726 748 
			 2005 1,841 787 
			 2006 1,897 854 
			 2007 1,813 860 
			 2008(5) 1,798 913 
			 2009 1,984 984 
			 2010 2,103 1,037 
			 2011 2,153 1,134 
			 (1) Includes rape and attempted rape. (2) Includes all cases which completed in the Crown court within each reporting period. (3) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (5) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Sentencing

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department has taken to assess the severity of punishments handed out for equivalent crimes by different courts.

Jeremy Wright: Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the independent Judiciary. When deciding a sentence, the Judiciary will consider the seriousness of an offence and in doing so are required to consider the culpability of the offender and the harm caused by the offence. The independent Sentencing Council publishes guidelines which provide non-exhaustive lists of common aggravating and mitigating factors, and courts retain discretion to treat the particular circumstances of individual cases.
	The Ministry of Justice publishes annual statistics on offenders sentenced and outcome by criminal justice area. These statistics are published on the MOJ website, with the 2011 annual publication (the latest available) and previous editions located on the following webpage:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/criminal-justice/criminal-justice-statistics/criminal-justice-statistics-editions
	In 2007, the Ministry of Justice published research on “local variation in sentencing in England and Wales”. The research is published on the MOJ website, and can be located on the following webpage:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/statistics/mojstats/local-variation-sentencing-1207.pdf?type=Finjan-Download&slot=0000019A&id=00000199&location=0A644210

Sentencing: Crime

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information his Department holds on research into links between the severity of sentences handed out by local courts and overall crime rates in the areas which they serve.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice published an evidence report to accompany its consultation on “Breaking the Cycle: Effective Punishment, Rehabilitation and Sentencing of Offenders” in December 2010.
	This report summarises the main findings from our assessment of a variety of evidence sources that we reviewed to support policy development on rehabilitation and sentencing. The report is published on the MOJ website, located on the following webpage:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/consultations/green-paper-evidence-a.pdf
	We do not hold any specific assessment of the link between the severity of sentences handed out by local courts and overall crime rates in the areas which they serve.

Sexual Offences

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many convicted sex offenders have had their sentences cut on appeal in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many convicted absconded sex offenders have had their sentences cut on appeal in their absence in each of the last five years.

Helen Grant: The available information required to answer this question is currently being collated. I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as it is available. A copy will be placed in the House Library.

WALES

Aerospace Industry

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent assessment he has made of the aerospace industry in Wales.

David Jones: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Pendle (Andrew Stephenson), on 16 January 2013, Official Report, column 859.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what his Department's top three policy implementation (a) successes and (b) failures have been since May 2010.

David Jones: The Programme for Government contains three commitments that relate directly to Wales; introduce a referendum on further Welsh devolution, establish a process similar to the Caiman Commission for the Welsh Assembly and take forward the Sustainable Homes Legislative Competence Order. All three have been delivered.
	A broader look at implementation progress can be found in the Government's Mid-Term Review document published on 7 January 2013 at:
	http://midtermreview.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/
	and the Programme for Government Update published on 9 January 2013 at:
	http://midtermreview.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/programme-for-government-update/

Entry Clearances: Industry

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the visa regime as it relates to industry in Wales.

David Jones: I have made representations to Ministers in the Home Office with regard to the potential impact of the visa regime on industry in Wales.

Human Transplantation (Wales) Bill

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  what plans he has to bring forward amendments to the Human Tissue Act 2004 consequential to the Human Transplantation (Wales) Bill; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  with reference to paragraph 20 of the explanatory memorandum on the Human Transplantation (Wales) Bill published by the Welsh Government on 3 December 2012, which Secretary of State agreed in principle to make an order pursuant to section 150 of the Government of Wales Act 2006 relating to that bill; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  with reference to paragraph 20 of the explanatory memorandum on the Human Transportation (Wales) Bill published by the Welsh Government on 3 December 2012, when he agreed in principle to make an order pursuant to section 150 of the Government of Wales Act 2006 relating to that Bill; whom he consulted before making that commitment; and if he will make a statement.

David Jones: The power to make such an order exists under the Government of Wales Act 2006. Following discussions with the Department of Health and the Welsh Government, and prior to the Bill's introduction to the National Assembly for Wales, I agreed to consider the amendments required to the Human Tissue Act 2004 as a consequence of the Bill. The UK Government (and in particular the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt)) is yet to take a final decision on the amendments required.

Income Tax

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the Government's income tax policy as it relates to Wales.

David Jones: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 16 January 2013, Official Report, column 860, to my hon. Friends the Member for Lincoln (Karl McCartney) and the Member for Aberconwy (Guto Bebb).

Infrastructure

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the Government's infrastructure guarantee scheme.

David Jones: My Department has had regular discussions with the Treasury regarding the Infrastructure Guarantee Scheme. I have discussed the scheme with the First Minister and business organisations in Wales to encourage both the pubic and private sectors in Wales to make the most of this opportunity to deliver much needed infrastructure investment in Wales.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent assessment he has made of the automotive industry in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

David Jones: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Hornchurch and Upminster (Dame Angela Watkinson), on 16 January 2013, Official Report, column 853.

Wylfa Power Station

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the potential benefits to the Welsh economy of the proposed nuclear power station development at Wylfa.

David Jones: Hitachi's investment in the proposed nuclear development at Wylfa will help to drive economic growth across Wales. With a firm commitment to involve the UK supply chain, the deal presents excellent opportunities for businesses in Wales and across the UK.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent estimate he has made of the number of unregistered voters in (a) the UK and (b) each region of the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: The Government do not hold this information. However, the Cabinet Office has recently funded research by the Electoral Commission into the completeness and accuracy of the electoral registers in Great Britain (published in 2011); the Commission has also undertaken research on continuous electoral registration in Northern Ireland (published in 2012).
	Reports based on this research are available on the Electoral Commission's website:
	http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voter-registration/individual-electoral-registration/research-on-voter-registration

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress has been made on the (a) data matching and (b) data mining pilots intended to improve voter registration; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: The pilots to test the confirmation of existing electors were carried out between September and December 2012. These pilots tested whether entries on the electoral register could be successfully matched with data held by the Department for Work and Pensions, thereby simplifying the transition to individual electoral registration for the majority of current electors.
	The electoral registers of the 14 pilot local authorities were matched against the DWP records at two points in time: prior to the annual canvass: and afterwards. The sample of authorities participating was spread across England, Scotland and Wales with a mix of urban and rural councils, and varying in size from Lothian to Ceredigion.
	The Cabinet Office undertook a preliminary evaluation in December 2012; at the same time the Electoral Commission independently evaluated the pilots and both organisations published their findings on 6 December 2012. These reports are available at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/transition-individual-electoral-registration
	http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/152747/Data-matching-confirmation-pilots-interim-findings.pdf
	The preliminary results showed that on average 71% of entries could be positively matched and confirmed. The confirmation rate varied between areas, from 55% in Tower Hamlets to 83% in Wigan.
	In summary the Electoral Commission agreed that the confirmation of electors to move them on to the IER register should be pursued, and they recommended that further options for increasing the proportion of electoral register entries that can be confirmed should be explored as this would make the transition to IER simpler for voters and more cost-effective.
	A full report on the data matching pilots will be published in March 2013. This will include results of in-depth qualitative interviews with the participants in the 14 pilot areas, which explored their experience of the process of confirmation and views on the effectiveness of the pilots.
	The data mining pilots are scheduled to begin in February 2013. These pilot projects will test data matching with other national data sets for the purpose of finding individuals not registered, with a view to improving the completeness of electoral registers. A statutory instrument authorising this scheme was passed by both Houses and made by the Minister on 19 December 2012. The Cabinet Office evaluation of these projects will be published in July 2013.

Monarchy: Succession

Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  whether his legislative proposals on the Succession to the Crown will have an effect on Royal Dukedoms;
	(2)  whether his legislative proposals on the Succession to the Crown will effect the title of the Princess Royal.

Chloe Smith: The Succession to the Crown Bill does not change the rules governing the inheritance of Royal Peerages and titles. It removes two areas of discrimination with regard to the rules of royal succession: the male preference primogeniture and the ban on the heir marrying a Roman Catholic. The Bill also replaces the Royal Marriages Act 1772 with a provision requiring the consent of the monarch to the marriage of any of the six people nearest in line to the Crown.

Monarchy: Succession

Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether a child born to a member of the Roman Catholic Church who had married into the Royal Family would be able to succeed to the Crown under the Government's legislative proposals on succession to the Crown.

Chloe Smith: The Succession to the Crown Bill does not change the requirement for the Monarch to be in communion with the Church of England. However there is nothing in the Bill that would specifically prevent a child born to a member of the Roman Catholic Church who had married into the Royal Family succeeding to the Crown.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Amazon

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many contracts were awarded by her Department to Amazon in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Hugh Robertson: No contracts were awarded to Amazon in either 2010, 2011 or 2012.

Amazon

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many meetings she and officials of her Department had with Amazon in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Hugh Robertson: Officials have regular meetings with representatives of Amazon on a range of issues; however, the Department does not hold centrally a list of all meetings held by officials and to collate this information for the period requested would incur disproportionate cost. The Department publishes details of all ministerial meetings with external organisations, since May 2010, on its transparency website at the following link:
	http://www.transparency.culture.gov.uk/category/other/meetings/

Arts: Staff

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people have been employed in creative industries in (a) England, (b) Warwickshire and (c) Warwick and Leamington constituency in each of the last four years.

Edward Vaizey: DCMS’ Creative Industries Economic Estimates provide employment estimates for the UK, 1.44 million in 2009 and 1.50 million in 2010. We do not provide estimates at a lower geographical level and do not have earlier estimates on a consistent basis with the latest methodology.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to provide small and medium-sized high street businesses in rural communities with access to broadband internet and the ability to trade online.

Edward Vaizey: The Government has made available £680 million to support improvements to broadband infrastructure across the UK, with £530 million available to projects covering rural areas. The programme is now proceeding at pace. The first BDUK-funded fibre cabinet was unveiled in North Yorkshire before Christmas, and nine local projects have signed contracts. The remainder should have completed their procurements by this summer.
	In addition, the Government is delivering a package of measures to reduce barriers to broadband rollout. It is relaxing planning restrictions around the installation of new cabinets and poles via an enabling clause in the Growth and Infrastructure Bill and amendments to secondary legislation, which will reduce the cost of rollout and increase certainty for communications providers. The Law Commission has undertaken a review of the Electronic Communications Code (which governs the wayleave regime for installing communications equipment over or under private land) and will make its recommendations to Government in February 2013. The Department for Transport has produced new guidance on issuing permit schemes for street works, which will also simplify the process for superfast broadband rollout. All of these measures are a vital support to the Government's ambition to have the best superfast broadband network in Europe by 2015.

Candidates: Disability

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  further to the answer of 8 January 2013, Official Report, column 150, what steps she plans to take to encourage further applicants to the Access to Elected Office Fund; and what steps she plans to take to ensure that further funding is available after March 2014;
	(2)  what proportion of the Access to Elected Office Fund has been distributed; how many people received funding; and how much on average was paid to each recipient.

Helen Grant: The £2.6 million Access to Elected Office Fund was launched in July 2012. Six applications to the fund from individual applicants totalling £33,970 have been approved. A further six applications are awaiting a decision. With effect from 1 January 2013, the application limit per applicant per calendar year has been increased from £10,000 to £20,000 to encourage more applications particularly from disabled people. The Government also continues to work jointly with political parties, the Local Government Association, disability organisations and Convey, the independent administrator for the Fund, to promote greater awareness of the Fund. There are no plans to extend the fund beyond March 2014 at present.

Dell

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many contracts were awarded by her Department to Dell CSC in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Hugh Robertson: No contracts were awarded to Dell in either 2010, 2011 or 2012.

Direct Selling

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to enforce call blocking systems.

Edward Vaizey: No additional steps are considered to be necessary as most telecom service providers already offer a range of services that can help to reduce the need to answer unwanted calls. This includes BT's ‘Choose to Refuse’ service, which allows consumers to block numbers by specifying numbers they do not want to receive calls from; Caller Display that enables a consumer to ignore calls that withhold their number; and Anonymous Call Rejection that allows a consumer to block incoming calls that withhold their number. A range of other call blocking systems are also commercially available that can help to block unwanted calls.

Direct Selling

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to tackle the problem of persistent silent and nuisance telephone calls from marketing companies.

Edward Vaizey: The Office of Communications (Ofcom), through the Communications Act 2003, has responsibility for regulating silent calls. Ofcom takes action on a case by case basis in proportion to each particular offence and can issue a maximum penalty of £2 million. Ofcom has an ongoing enforcement programme and has issued penalties totalling £810,000 within the past year. Further details about their remit are available at:
	http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/2012/10/abandoned-and-silent-calls
	Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) 2003, consumers are protected from nuisance unsolicited marketing calls, through the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), which is a free service. Callers are legally required not to call a number that is registered with the TPS, or if they have previously notified the caller that they do not wish to receive such calls. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) considers complaints about breaches and can an issue a fine of up to £500,000 for the most serious breaches of the PECR.
	I met with ICO, Ofcom and TPS in July to press for improvements in enforcement. Consequently, the ICO has increased the resources devoted to enforcement of PECR and on 28 November 2012 served monetary penalties, totalling £440,000, to two illegal marketers responsible for distributing millions of spam texts. The ICO has also published on its website a list of the most complained about companies that make calls to TPS registered consumers; if the companies fail to remedy their actions, then they could face further enforcement action. The ICO is also currently considering issuing penalties to three other companies for breaching the PECR.
	In addition, Ofcom has improved information available to consumers online at:
	http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/tell-us/telecoms/privacy
	which provides clearer advice on how to avoid nuisance calls, texts and e-mails and a new Consumer Guide that signposts the correct place to make a complaint:
	http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/2012/10/tackling-nuisance-calls-and-messages

Football: Sports Grounds

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her policy is on proposed changes to the Football Spectators Act 1989 to allow standing in football grounds; and if she will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: The Government believes that the long-standing policy, which requires that stadia of football clubs in the top two divisions be all-seater, remains the best means to ensure the safety and security of spectators at football grounds in England and Wales. The football authorities, police and those responsible for safety all continue to support the current policy and a compelling case has not been made to change this.

Gambling: Rehabilitation

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what action her Department is taking to prevent irresponsible gambling and to help those with gambling addictions.

Hugh Robertson: Problem gambling in Britain is tackled through a range of activities that include licence conditions and codes of practice for gambling operators licensed by the Gambling Commission and the allocation of funds, raised from the industry, by the Responsible Gambling Trust to cover research, education and treatment of problem gamblers. A number of measures are in place, for example: the signposting of assistance to gamblers in gambling premises and on websites; controls on gambling advertisements; a national problem gambling helpline and online equivalent; and the funding of treatment services.

Google

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many contracts were awarded by her Department to Google in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Hugh Robertson: No contracts were awarded to Google in either 2010, 2011 or 2012.

Google

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many meetings she and officials of her Department had with Google in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Hugh Robertson: Officials have regular meetings with representatives of Google on a range of issues; however, the Department does not hold centrally a list of all meetings held by officials and to collate this information for the period requested would incur disproportionate cost. The Department publishes details of all ministerial meetings with external organisations, since May 2010, on its transparency website at the following link:
	http://www.transparency.culture.gov.uk/category/other/meetings/

National Lottery: Gloucestershire

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much national lottery funding from each different lottery fund was given to organisations in each constituency in Gloucestershire in the latest period for which figures are available.

Hugh Robertson: Information on the value of lottery grants, including constituency awards and awarding lottery distributors, can be found by searching the Department's lottery grants database at:
	www.lottery.culture.gov.uk
	The database uses information on lottery grants supplied by the lottery distributors.

Oracle Corporation UK

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many contracts were awarded by her Department to Oracle in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Hugh Robertson: No contracts were awarded to Oracle in either 2010, 2011 or 2012.

Oracle Corporation UK

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many meetings she and officials of her Department had with Oracle in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Hugh Robertson: Officials have regular meetings with representatives of Oracle on a range of issues; however, the Department does not hold centrally a list of all meetings held by officials and to collate this information for the period requested would incur disproportionate cost. The Department publishes details of all ministerial meetings with external organisations, since May 2010, on its transparency website at the following link:
	http://www.transparency.culture.gov.uk/category/other/meetings/

Sports: West Midlands

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the announcement by her Department on 10 January 2012, how much of the £45 million improvement fund her Department plans to invest in medium-sized facilities development projects in (a) the West Midlands, (b) the Dudley metropolitan borough council area and (c) Dudley North constituency.

Hugh Robertson: Sport England is currently in the process of considering a number of applications to the Improvement Fund. As a result, we do not hold this data as the funding decisions are yet to be made. We will be making the funding decisions in March 2013 and will publish a full breakdown following this.

Sports: Young People

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the announcement by her Department on 10 January 2012 that her Department will invest £450 million in increasing participation in sport among 14 to 25 year olds, how her Department will monitor and assess the payment-by-results aspect of this spending.

Hugh Robertson: Over the next four years, Sport England will invest £450 million in 46 sports through the whole sport plans. Under the payment by results arrangement each sport will have annual targets for overall participation, participation by disabled people and talent development. Progress against these targets will be measured by Active People, Sport England's participation survey. Sport England will reduce or stop investment in any sport that fails to achieve its target. They may also increase funding to sports with particularly successful or innovative new programs. In addition, from June 2013 Sport England will publish league tables showing the performance of sports against their targets.

Symantec

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many contracts were awarded by her Department to Symantec in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Hugh Robertson: No contracts were awarded to Symantec in either 2010, 2011 or 2012.

Symantec

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many meetings she and officials of her Department had with Symantec in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Hugh Robertson: There have been no meetings between Symantec and the Secretary of State or officials of her Department.

Telephone Services: Unsolicited Goods and Services

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will work with foreign governments to secure an international agreement to reduce the number of international unsolicited calls.

Edward Vaizey: The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) 2003, considers complaints about unsolicited marketing calls. Therefore, the ICO undertakes work of this nature with other regulators and through international forums and is a signatory to the London Action plan, which is a scheme to endorse worldwide spam enforcement. Also, the ICO is a member of the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Enforcement Forum, which creates a network of public, and other enforcement bodies across the EU, that are responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection legislation in member states. Although calls from overseas foreign companies fall outside the jurisdiction of the UK, callers from within the UK, or those based overseas calling on behalf of UK companies, are already legally required not to call a number that is registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), or if they have previously notified the caller that they do not wish to receive such calls.

Temporary Employment

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what amount her Department spent on interim staff as defined by the National Audit Office in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if she will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: Total expenditure on interim staff in (a) 2010-11 was £2,885,127 and in (b) 2011-12 was £4,691,285. These figures include the use of interim staff for two finite major projects—the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games and broadband rollout, administered by Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK).

Tickets: Touting

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to reduce the illegal re-sale of tickets for sporting events.

Hugh Robertson: The illegal resale of tickets is a matter for the relevant enforcement agencies. The Government has no plans to further regulate the ticketing market.

Tour de France

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she will take to support Yorkshire's successful bid to host the Tour de France's Grand Départ in 2014.

Hugh Robertson: We are delighted that Yorkshire is hosting this important sporting occasion. UK Sport is working with the organisers to assess what advice and support it can provide to ensure it is a great success. The nature of the Government's support to major sporting events during the delivery phase, which would include the Tour de France's Grand Départ in 2014, is set out in 'A Stage to Inspire' which was recently published by UK Sport.

Video Games

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent estimate she has made of the contribution to UK exports by the video games industry (a) in cash terms and (b) as a percentage of GDP in each year between 2009 and 2011.

Edward Vaizey: DCMS’ Creative Industries Economic Estimates provide export data for “Digital and Entertainment Media” which includes “Publishing of computer games” and “Ready-made interactive leisure and entertainment software development”. Exports of “Digital and Entertainment Media” were £78 million or 0.1% of UK service exports in 2009. We do not have earlier estimates on a consistent basis.

Video Games

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people have been employed in the video games industry in (a) England, (b) Warwickshire and (c) Warwick and Leamington constituency in each of the last four years.

Edward Vaizey: DCMS’ Creative Industries Economic Estimates provide employment data for “Digital and Entertainment Media” which includes “Publishing of computer games” and “Ready-made interactive leisure and entertainment software development”. Employment in “Digital and Entertainment Media” was 8,000 in 2009 and 13,000 in 2010. We do not have earlier estimates on a consistent basis or at a lower geographic level. However, I know that Leamington Spa is home to a number of video games companies and I am looking forward to seeing this “Silicon Spa” cluster for myself when I visit on 25 January.

Video Games

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent estimate she has made of the contribution made to UK GDP by the video game industry in each year between 2009 and 2011.

Edward Vaizey: DCMS’ Creative Industries Economic Estimates provide GVA estimates for “Digital and Entertainment Media” which include “Publishing of computer games” and “Ready-made interactive leisure and entertainment software development”. Latest GVA estimates for “Digital and Entertainment Media” were £400 million (0.03% of UK GVA) in 2009.

Video Games

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to support the video games industry.

Edward Vaizey: Subject to approval from the European Commission, the Government will introduce corporation tax reliefs for three creative content sectors, including video games, from April 2013. In addition, we recently announced that we will match-fund voluntary industry contributions of up to £6 million over the next two years, to the existing Skills Investment Fund (SIF). Government support for the creative industries is primarily channelled through the Creative Industries Council which was established as a joint forum between the creative industries and Government to address areas where there are barriers facing the sector. Jointly chaired by the Secretaries of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Nicola Mendelsohn, President of the IPA, the council focuses on finding practical solutions to issues across the sector including access to finance, skills and growth across the UK’s creative industries.

Video Games

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many video games companies were based in the UK in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011.

Edward Vaizey: Data from the ONS Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) show that the number of UK enterprises in the category 'Publishing of computer games' was 85 in 2009, 95 in 2010 and 95 in 2011.
	Reference table B3.1
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bus-register/uk-business/index.html

Video Games: Broadband

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions her Department has had with video games businesses on the potential benefits of ultra-fast broadband to that sector.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State recently met with the members of the Association for United Kingdom Interactive Entertainment (ukie) to discuss a range of issues affecting the video games sector, including broadband.

Xerox Corporation

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many contracts were awarded by her Department to Xerox in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Hugh Robertson: No contracts were awarded to Xerox in either 2010, 2011 or 2012.

Xerox Corporation

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many meetings she and officials of her Department had with Xerox in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Hugh Robertson: There have been no meetings between Xerox and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), or officials of her Department.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Gay Games: Greater London

David Davies: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities whether it is the Government's intention to use public money to fund London's bid to host Gay Games X in 2018.

Helen Grant: The Government supports London's bid to host the Gay Games X in London in 2018. My Department will provide advice and assistance, as requested. We have not been asked to provide funding for the event.

Homosexuality: Marriage

Therese Coffey: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many responses to the consultation on same-sex marriage were made from outside the UK.

Helen Grant: The Government received over 228,000 responses to the consultation on equal marriage, along with nineteen petitions. Consistent with other Government consultations, it is not standard practice to collect names and contact details of individuals where we anticipate a high volume of responses to a consultation. We are not aware of an international campaign directed at this consultation.

Homosexuality: Marriage

Therese Coffey: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what criteria she used to establish if a response to the consultation on same-sex marriage was valid.

Helen Grant: We considered carefully all of the 228,000 responses submitted during the consultation period whether online, via the post or email. We did not discount any of the responses. We also received nineteen petitions.

Marriage

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities if she will insert provisions and protections in the Equal Marriage Bill for teachers who have a conscientious objection to teaching same-sex marriage classes.

Helen Grant: Legislation to enable same-sex couples to marry will be introduced to Parliament within this parliamentary session and will be subject to rigorous scrutiny and debate in both Houses. There will be no change to the approach to teaching in schools.

Marriage

Richard Fuller: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what discussions she has had on the application of legislation on same sex marriages to Congregationalist churches and their bodies of affiliation.

Helen Grant: In March 2012 the Government held a consultation to ask for views on how marriage could be opened up to same-sex couples. We received 228,000 responses and a number of petitions. These responses included contributions from Congregationalist churches. On 11 December 2012 the Government published its response to the consultation outlining its proposals to enable same-sex couples to marry. Since then we have continued to engage with organisations with an interest in the proposed legislation, including Congregationalist churches.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Amazon

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many contracts were awarded by his Department to Amazon in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and its agencies do not hold a central contracts database from which this information can be obtained. An exercise is underway to create a central database and in the interim we have provided the following information relating to spend with Amazon in the years requested:
	
		
			  Spend with Amazon (£) 
			 (a) 2010/11 0 
			 (b) 2011/12 0 
			 (c) 2012/13 0 
		
	
	This information is also available on the Government website in accordance with the guidelines supporting the transparency spend initiatives.

Billing

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of how many signatories to the Prompt Payment Code have changed or extended their payment terms in the six months prior to signing the Code; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: Signatories of the Prompt Payment Code commit to paying suppliers on time within the terms agreed at the outset of the contract, without attempting to change payment terms retrospectively and without changing practice on length of payment for smaller companies.
	In order to become a Code signatory, companies are required to provide referees from its suppliers, who can confirm that it is a prompt payer. The references are collected by the Institute for Credit Management which administers the Code on behalf of the Government.
	The Prompt Payment Code is a voluntary undertaking and is intended to encourage a culture where suppliers can be certain that payment will be received in accordance with agreed terms.

Broadband

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received from businesses on the time taken by broadband suppliers to provide a broadband connection; and what discussions he has had with broadband suppliers on that subject.

Edward Vaizey: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
	No such representations have been received. I have regular discussions with broadband suppliers on a range of issues.

Business: Billing

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to prevent FTSE350 companies from extending their payment terms and then claiming to have met with the requirements of the Prompt Payment Code.

Michael Fallon: I have written to the chief executives of the FTSE 350 companies urging them to sign up to the Prompt Payment Code. Any retrospective extension of payment terms or significant change of payment terms to smaller companies would be a clear breach of the Code. Officials are working with the Institute for Credit Management which administers the Code on behalf of Government to encourage and make it easier to raise concerns about the behaviour of signatories.

Business: Commonwealth

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his objectives are for the next Commonwealth Business Forum to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Michael Fallon: The Commonwealth Business Forum will draw attention to opportunities for UK business to be found in Sri Lanka, the region and the wider Commonwealth.

Business: Commonwealth

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which Government minister will attend the 2013 Commonwealth Business Forum in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Michael Fallon: It is too early to confirm UK attendance at the Commonwealth Business Forum.

Business: Liverpool

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many companies have re-located and invested in Liverpool (a) in the last year, (b) in the last five years and (c) in the last 10 years.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 18 January 2013
	The most accurate figures available locally indicate that there were 11 projects relocating to the area Liverpool city council in 2011/12, 58 in the last five financial years and 106 in the last 10 financial years.

Business: Loans

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if the conclusions of the National Audit Office's investigation into the Regional Growth Fund will be used in the creation of the application processing operations of the Government's Business Bank.

Michael Fallon: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will take into account both private and public sector best practice when developing appropriate processes for the Government's Business Bank, including best practice from the application processing operations of the Regional Growth Fund.

Business: Loans

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will expedite the implementation of the Government's Business Bank.

Michael Fallon: The written ministerial statement published on 20 December 2012 set out key milestones for the bank's implementation.
	Detailed design of the bank's activities will need to reflect the requirement to ensure our proposals are fully consistent with state aid rules. We have already started a dialogue with the European Commission about our proposals.
	In order to act swiftly, we propose to use £300 million of the bank's new £1 billion funding over the next two years, to co-invest alongside the private sector in sources of finance that help diversify the business finance market. We are currently engaging with market participants on how this funding will be made available and will provide further detail at Budget 2013.

Business: Young People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2013, Official Report, column 577W, on business: young people, what the (a) total, (b) average, (c) lowest and (d) highest amount lent under the start-up loans for young people programme has been in each region of the UK to date.

Michael Fallon: The regional breakdown for lending under the Start-Up Loans scheme (as of 4 January 2013) is as follows:
	
		
			  Total amount lent per region (£) 
			 East 111,650 
			 East Midlands 87,550 
			 South East 206,641 
			 West Midlands 251,900 
			 North East 73,350 
			 South West 175,300 
			 North West 146,757 
			 Yorkshire 81,400 
			 London 562,825 
		
	
	
		
			  Average loan per region (£) 
			 East 3,383 
			 East Midlands 2,918 
			 South East 3,179 
			 West Midlands 3,760 
			 North East 3,334 
			 South West 4,613 
			 North West 3,261 
			 Yorkshire 3,256 
			 London 3,496 
		
	
	
		
			  Lowest loan per region (£) 
			 East 500 
			 East Midlands 500 
			 South East 500 
			 West Midlands 800 
			 North East 1,000 
			 South West 1,000 
			 North West 1,000 
			 Yorkshire 1,150 
			 London 2,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Highest loan per region (£) 
			 East 7,500 
			 East Midlands 10,000 
			 South East 13,000 
			 West Midlands 10,000 
			 North East 7,500 
			 South West 9,000 
			 North West 8,500 
			 Yorkshire 10,000 
			 London 10,000

Citizens Advice and Consumer Focus

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on which dates since January 2012 he has met the (a) Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, (b) Chair of Citizens Advice, (c) Chief Executive of Consumer Focus and (d) Chair of Consumer Focus.

Jo Swinson: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has not met with either the Chief Executive or Chair of Consumer Focus in the last year. He met briefly with the Chief Executive and Chair of Citizens Advice ahead of delivering the keynote speech at Citizens Advice's annual conference at Exeter University on 12 September 2012. He has not met with the Chair or Chief Executive of Citizens Advice Scotland.
	I and my predecessors have met at regular intervals with Consumer Focus, Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland.

Construction: Fines

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on which occasions the Office of Fair Trading imposed penalties on construction companies in each of the last five years; what penalty was imposed in each such case; on which company and for what reasons in each such case; to what purpose the fines received have been put; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: In the last five years (2007-12) the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) imposed financial penalties on construction companies on one occasion: a large number of construction companies were fined in the OFT's 2009 infringement decision in the ‘Bid rigging in the construction industry in England’ case.
	In that case the OFT found that the infringing parties had engaged in illegal anti-competitive bid-rigging activities on a large number of tenders for building contracts from 2000 to 2006, mostly in the form of ‘cover pricing’. Cover pricing is where one or more bidders in a tender process obtains an artificially high price from a competitor. Such cover bids are priced so as not to win the contract but are submitted as genuine bids, which gives a misleading impression to clients as to the real extent of competition. This distorts the tender process and makes it less likely that other potentially cheaper firms are invited to tender.
	Details of the financial penalties imposed by the OFT in the case can be found in the published version of the infringement decision, which is available on the public register of decisions under the Competition Act 1998 at:
	http://www.oft.gov.uk/OFTwork/competition-act-and-cartels/ca98/decisions/bid_rigging_construction
	A number of the companies fined appealed the OFT's decision to the Competition Appeal Tribunal (the CAT). In 2011 the CAT issued judgments upholding the overwhelming majority of the OFT's findings on liability but reducing the level of fines the OFT had imposed on the appealing parties. The relevant judgments are available on the CAT website at:
	www.catribunal.org
	Financial penalties imposed by the OFT are paid into the UK central Government's Consolidated Fund and administered by Her Majesty's Treasury.
	For completeness, it should be noted that in a separate case the OFT also imposed financial penalties on certain companies engaged in the supply of recruitment services to the construction industry, but not any construction companies themselves. Details of the case can be found in the published version of the infringement decision at:
	http://www.oft.gov.uk/OFTwork/competition-act-and-cartels/ca98/decisions/Construction-recruitment-forum
	CAT 8) can be found at:
	http://www.catribunal.org/238/all/6/Judgments.html

Dell

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many contracts were awarded by his Department to DELL CSC in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and its agencies do not hold a central contracts database from which this information can be obtained. An exercise is under way to create a central database and in the interim we have provided the following information relating to spend with Dell in the years requested:
	
		
			  Spend with Dell (£) 
			 (a) 2010/11 0 
			 (b) 2011/12 5,447 
			 (c) 2012/13 5,366 
		
	
	This information is also available on the Government website in accordance with the guidelines supporting the transparency spend initiatives.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his Department's top three policy implementation (a) successes and (b) failures have been since May 2010.

Jo Swinson: The policy implementation priorities of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills can be found in the Department's Structural Reform Plan, progress against which is reported on the Government's Business Plan website:
	http://transparency.number10.gov.uk/business-plan
	A broader look at implementation progress can be found in the Government's Mid-Term Review document:
	http://midtermreview.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/
	published on 7 January 2013 and the Programme for Government Update:
	http://midtermreview.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/proqramme-for-government-update/
	published on 9 January 2013.

Export Credit Guarantees: Kenya

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the communications sector exports are that account for 11 per cent of Kenya's sovereign debt owed to UK Export Finance; when these exports were made; and what proportion of these exports were to the (a) government and (b) private companies.

Michael Fallon: UK Export Finance, formally the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD), recently published information, available in the Libraries of the House, about sovereign debts payable to ECGD. This analysis was done in order to provide a sectoral split. Paragraph 10 of the explanatory note draws the attention of the reader to the limitations of the exercise due to its size and the age and quality of some of the records.
	Further detailed investigation of the relevant files show that the exports that account for the proportion of Kenya's original debt that relate to the communications sector are in respect of radio communications equipment, test equipment and spares for defence purposes. The exports were made in 1987 and 1989, and were to the Government.

Film

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to ensure that the competitiveness and attractiveness of the UK as a location to do business in the film industry is maintained and enhanced.

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), are both scheduled to attend a forthcoming Creative Industries Council meeting at which the film industry will be represented and issues of mutual concern will be discussed.

Google

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many contracts were awarded by his Department to Google in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and its agencies do not hold a central contracts database from which this information can be obtained. An exercise is under way to create a central database and in the interim we have provided the following information relating to spend with Google in the years requested:
	
		
			  £ 
			 (a) 2010/11 0 
			 (b) 2011/12 0 
			 (c) 2012/13 0 
		
	
	This information is also available on the Government website in accordance with the guidelines supporting the transparency spend initiatives.

Higher Education: Admissions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many students applied for entry to a university in England and Wales in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14 (i) by the region of the institution, (ii) by their region of domicile and (iii) in total; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many students domiciled in England and Wales applied for entry to a university based within London in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14, (i) in total and (ii) by university; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The information is not available centrally. The latest applicant figures for 2013 entry were published by UCAS on 3 January 2013, but these did not include separate figures for applicants by region of domicile or region of institution. UCAS is an independent organisation and is unable to provide this information at this time.

Offshore Industry

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to support the offshore oil manufacturing sector.

Michael Fallon: As part of the Industrial Strategy we will publish a specific strategy on oil and gas which is due to be published in late March. This strategy aims to create an environment where UK supply chains will be encouraged to grow and thrive, thus ensuring UK firms are in the best shape possible to compete for global business. We also work closely with the Department for Energy and Climate Change to promote UK capability and capacity in the offshore fabrication sector.

Oracle Corporation UK

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many contracts were awarded by his Department to Oracle in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and its agencies do not hold a central contracts database from which this information can be obtained. An exercise is under way to create a central database and in the interim we have provided the following information relating to spend with Oracle in the years requested:
	(a) 2010/11: £139,602
	(b) 2011/12: £234,518
	(c) 2012/13: £528,020
	This information is also available on the Government website in accordance with the guidelines supporting the transparency spend initiatives.

Overseas Trade

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of companies requesting overseas market reports are (a) large, (b) medium-sized and (c) small companies.

Michael Fallon: UKTI delivers approximately 6,000 Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS) reports per year. The latest Performance Impact Monitoring Survey (PIMS) shows the proportion of (a) large companies using OMIS was 15% (b) medium-sized was 56% and (c) small was 27%.

Overseas Trade

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department earns per year from the Overseas Market Introduction Service reports.

Michael Fallon: The Overseas Market Introduction Service remains a subsidised service and revenue earned for last financial year (2011-12) was £7.3 million as reported in UKTI's audited annual report and accounts (HC 47). All revenue earned is re-invested into providing UKTI support to UK businesses.

Overseas Trade

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average amount of time needed to produce an Overseas Market Introduction Service report is.

Michael Fallon: The Overseas Market Introduction Service is a bespoke service tailored to the customers particular requirements, from market research, programme arranging, organising product launch events to a variety of support over a longer period. The average order takes 35 hours (FY 2011-12).

Overseas Trade

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what guidance UK Trade and Investment provides to the UK Border Agency on issuing visas to businessmen on inward trade missions to the UK.

Michael Fallon: UKTI works closely with UK Border Agency (UKBA) in design and implementation of all aspects of the visa regime affecting business visitors, for example, co-authoring a leaflet with UKBA highlighting recent changes made to speed up the process for issuing business visas in Turkey and a priority service for business visitors in Thailand. When organising Inward trade missions to the UK, the local UKTI team is in regular contact with their UKBA counterparts to minimise difficulties in processing visa applications from missioners.

Overseas Trade: Commonwealth

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how his Department informs UK small and medium-sized enterprises about trade opportunities in the Commonwealth.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) publishes business opportunities in overseas markets on the UKTI website:
	www.ukti.gov.uk/businessopportunities
	In addition UKTI website users can set up alerts to receive notification of when opportunities are published in their countries and sectors of interest.

Overseas Trade: Commonwealth

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps the Government is taking to help small and medium-sized enterprises trade with other Commonwealth nations.

Michael Fallon: The UKTI Strategy 'Open for Business' puts a particular focus on helping small and medium-sized enterprises to export. UKTI is currently rolling out a major new approach to e-connectivity and programmes to link small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to trade finance, credit insurance and venture capital. These will help SMEs to develop their exports to Commonwealth and other markets.
	In addition UKTI has built on leveraging partnerships with its private sector partners and a range of other stakeholders to raise awareness of its services particularly to SMEs. UKTI organised an export week in early November with over 100 events across the UK attended by more than 4,000 companies.

Overseas Trade: Commonwealth

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will consider the merits of the creation of the role of a Minister for Commonwealth Trade.

Michael Fallon: Ministerial appointments and responsibilities are a matter for the Prime Minister.

Overseas Trade: Commonwealth

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to promote trade with Commonwealth countries.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment, both in the UK and through posts overseas, promotes trade with other Commonwealth countries where there are significant opportunities for UK companies. Ministers regularly visit Commonwealth markets to promote trade and investment.
	BIS also works to support EU negotiations of Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with several Commonwealth countries. For example, 2012 saw political agreement of an FTA with Singapore and I am hopeful of significant progress in early 2013 towards liberalising trade with Canada.

Overseas Trade: Commonwealth

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UK Trade delegations have visited Commonwealth nations since 2010.

Michael Fallon: Since 2010, there have been 270 UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) sponsored/administered trade missions to 20 Commonwealth nations in which UKTI has a presence. Many of these have been led by BIS/FCO Ministers.

Pay

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent meetings (a) he has and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with businesses and business organisations to discuss the living wage.

Jo Swinson: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), nor BIS Ministers have recently had meetings with businesses or business organisations specifically to discuss the living wage.
	The Government supports the living wage and encourages businesses to take it up where possible. However, the decision on what wages to set are for employers and workers.
	For the lowest paid workers, the Government's aim is to have a minimum wage rate that helps as many low-paid workers as possible, while making sure that we do not damage their employment prospects by setting it too high. In addition to the minimum wage, the Government is doing everything it can to help all working people on low pay with the cost of living. That is why we are cutting income tax for the low paid and taking 2.2 million people out of tax altogether.

Pay

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether (a) he has and (b) Ministers in his Department have met Citizens UK to discuss the living wage; and what plans he has to do so in the future.

Jo Swinson: No Ministers have met Citizens UK to discuss the living wage and none have any plans to do so currently.

Pay

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will consider bringing forward proposals to amend companies' legislation to require listed companies to report as part of their annual reporting requirements whether their remuneration policy includes paying the living wage to all employees.

Jo Swinson: The Government supports the Living Wage and encourages businesses to take it up where possible. However, the decision on what wages to set is for employers and workers.
	The Government also wants to encourage companies to consider wider employee pay when deciding on the remuneration of directors. As part of comprehensive reforms to improve the governance of directors' remuneration, the Government has published proposals on the additional information which must be included in the annual remuneration reports published by listed companies. Although this does not require reference to the Living Wage, companies will in future have to explain how they have taken into account the pay and conditions of the wider workforce when deciding directors' remuneration; whether, and if so, how, employees have been consulted when deciding directors' pay; and the annual percentage increase in employee pay compared to the annual percentage increase in chief executive pay. The Government expects these reforms to come into force on 1 October 2013.

Postgraduate Education

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that the UK remains competitive in attracting foreign students to postgraduate courses.

David Willetts: holding answer 21 January 2013
	It is for individual higher education (HE) institutions to decide the key elements of their offer and tuition fees to attract students to their post graduate programmes. As autonomous bodies our institutions are also responsible for the academic standards of their awards, learning opportunities and quality of research.
	Government supports foreign student recruitment by promoting the UK HE abroad and activity to assure the UK's world class reputation for education and research.
	Quality in higher education is assured through the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) which reviews and reports on how well UK HE institutions maintain quality and standards in accordance with the UK Quality Code for Higher Education. This system has a global reputation for success and has influenced parallel developments overseas.
	Our research funding regime supports activity of the highest quality and impact. Government funding for research has been protected in the current challenging economic climate, which gives our institutions confidence to continue post graduate research and related international student recruitment.
	We have also introduced a number of measures to promote recruitment of post graduate students. For example, all international students that complete a PhD from 2013 will have up to a year to find a graduate level job and move on to Tier 2 of the visa system or move on to the graduate entrepreneur or exceptional talent schemes in Tier 1 Visa.
	The Government recognises the contribution that international students make to the UK's economy and to making our education system one of the best in the world. We welcome all genuine students to the UK. There is no cap on the number of genuine students who can come here to study and we have no plans to introduce one.

Postgraduate Education

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many first-year postgraduate students enrolled on higher education courses in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12 (i) by the region of the institution, (ii) by their region of domicile and (iii) in total; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on student enrolments at UK higher education institutions (HEIs). Information on the number of UK domiciled first year postgraduate enrolments by region of domicile and institution at English HEIs for the academic years 2010/11 and 2011/12 is provided in the following tables.
	Information for the 2012/13 academic year will become available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in January 2014.
	
		
			 UK domiciled(1) first year postgraduate enrolments(2) by region of domicile and institution 
			 English higher education institutions: Academic year 2010/11 
			  Region of institution 
			 Region of domicile North East North West Yorks and Humber East Midlands West Midlands East London South East South West Total 
			 North East 4,750 645 390 145 170 65 260 335 140 6,900 
			 North West 385 19,965 1,315 430 795 230 720 755 295 24,895 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 610 1,785 9,685 745 535 180 650 595 190 14,965 
			 East Midlands 180 910 1,265 6,225 975 475 680 705 270 11,660 
			 West Midlands 110 2,080 460 1,005 8,980 225 790 825 585 15,065 
			 East 250 1,120 480 740 595 6,210 3,215 1,545 400 14,560 
			 London 235 1,430 495 720 810 1,485 25,415 3,310 725 34,630 
			 South East 250 1,030 515 760 905 950 5,795 12,140 1,205 23,550 
			 South West 120 595 270 370 650 390 1,235 2,000 9,930 15,555 
			 Guernsey Jersey and Isle of Man 15 85 20 20 15 25 40 40 45 305 
			 Wales 60 675 120 145 245 105 370 535 470 2,730 
			 Scotland 195 375 185 240 130 140 475 515 140 2,385 
			 Northern Ireland 110 365 80 80 65 55 185 225 90 1,255 
			 Total known 7,275 31,060 15,275 11,620 14,875 10,540 39,835 23,520 14,485 168,480 
			 England region unknown 65 270 175 65 220 145 620 435 265 2,265 
			 UK region unknown 0 10 5 220 15 5 135 50 30 470 
			 Total 7,340 31,340 15,455 11,905 15,105 10,690 40,595 24,005 14,775 171,210 
			 (1) Domicile refers to a student's permanent or home address prior to entry to their course. (2) Covers students in all years of study. Note: Figures are based on a MESA standard registration population and have been rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of five, so components may not sum to totals. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record 
		
	
	
		
			 English higher education institutions: Academic year 2011/12 
			  Region of institution 
			 Region of domicile North East North West Yorks and Humber East Midlands West Midlands East London South East South West Total 
			 North East 4,910 450 405 150 150 75 245 295 60 6,740 
			 North West 385 16,110 1,410 430 730 220 770 710 255 21,025 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 605 1,255 9,210 670 455 185 670 570 200 13,820 
			 East Midlands 180 810 1,220 6,065 1,000 430 730 625 240 11,300 
			 West Midlands 130 1,460 595 1,005 8,230 250 855 750 470 13,750 
			 East 160 540 465 670 645 5,995 3,190 1,470 385 13,535 
			 London 255 815 505 655 815 1,455 24,985 3,455 665 33,605 
			 South East 260 705 565 730 885 940 5,760 10,965 1,100 21,920 
			 South West 145 440 315 345 635 395 1,205 1,905 7,050 12,440 
			 Guernsey, Jersey and Isle of Man 15 50 20 10 10 10 50 65 25 255 
			 Wales 55 585 155 180 265 70 340 465 385 2,500 
			 Scotland 150 285 170 140 140 115 505 540 140 2,180 
			 Northern Ireland 125 375 75 75 65 55 200 185 75 1,230 
			 Total known 7,375 23,880 15,130 11,135 14,025 10,195 39,505 22,005 11,045 154,295 
			 England region unknown 50 435 150 110 330 80 625 300 135 2,210 
			 UK region unknown 0 10 5 5 20 0 30 20 0 90 
			 Total 7,425 24,325 15,285 11,250 14,375 10,275 40,160 22,325 11,185 156,600 
			 (1) Domicile refers to a student's permanent or home address prior to entry to their course. (2) Covers students in all years of study. Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of five, so components may not sum to totals. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record

Regional Growth Fund

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will offer additional support to unsuccessful applicants to the Regional Growth Fund in their subsequent applications.

Michael Fallon: On 17 January, the Deputy Prime Minister announced the opening of a fourth competitive round of the Regional Growth Fund (RGF). A total of £350 million is available for applicants.
	As with previous rounds, the RGF Secretariat will be running a series of 'Expression of Interest' (EOI) meetings for potential applicants throughout the round. We know from feedback that bidders have found these meetings particularly helpful and worthwhile. Where previous bidders have not been selected and are considering re-applying, we would urge them to attend an early EOI meeting to ensure that they get timely advice on preparing the best quality bid. Any unsuccessful bidder from the previous round of RGF was also able to receive feedback on their bid which should assist with preparing future applications.

Regional Growth Fund: Yorkshire and the Humber

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much monetary support allocated to businesses in Hull and the East Riding under the Regional Growth Fund is yet to be paid to those businesses.

Michael Fallon: A total of £33,700,000 has been awarded to programmes based in Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire under Rounds 1 and 2. £28,200,000 had been paid to the two programmes at 1 January 2013.
	Under Round 3 of the Regional Growth Fund, funding has also been conditionally allocated for a project based in Hull and a programme that has the potential to support beneficiaries, including SMEs, in the wider Hull, East Riding and North East Lincolnshire area.

Regulated Industries Unit

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to announce the membership of the Board of the Regulated Industries Unit.

Jo Swinson: We continue to develop governance plans for the Regulated Industries Unit (RIU), working with our delivery partners, Consumer Focus, Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland (the Citizens Advice Service). Consumer Focus will re-form into the RIU in April 2013 and, until transition to the Citizens Advice Service in 2014, its work will be overseen by the Consumer Focus Board.

Regulated Industries Unit

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what budget his Department has allocated to the Regulated Industries Unit, by funding stream, from April 2013.

Jo Swinson: We have not yet allocated partner body budgets for 2013-14. We have, however, indicated that levy contributions from the regulated energy and postal services sectors are expected to be set at the same levels as 2012-13 (£5.771 million for energy; £3.111 million for post). BIS's contribution to funding has yet to be determined.

Regulated Industries Unit

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff currently employed by Consumer Focus will transfer to the new Regulated Industries Unit, in April 2013; and how many such staff will be subject to TUPE regulations.

Jo Swinson: Consumer Focus will reform into the Regulated Industries Unit (RIU) in April 2013. Restructuring is likely to take place in 2013-14 ahead of transfer to the Citizens Advice services in 2014.
	The final operating model for the RIU is still being developed in conjunction with Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland. Final staffing numbers are not yet known, but we expect the final transfer to be made on a statutory basis.

Shops

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the UK's high street retail sector.

Michael Fallon: Office for National Statistics figures show that year-on-year retail sales were estimated to have increased by 0.3% in December 2012 compared with December 2011.
	We hold regular discussions with industry through our Retail Policy Forum and representative organisations such as the British Retail Consortium about the state of the retail sector.

Symantec

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many contracts were awarded by his Department to Symantec in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and its agencies do not hold a central contracts database from which this information can be obtained. An exercise is underway to create a central database and in the interim we have provided the following information relating to spend with Symantec in the years requested:
	
		
			  Spend with Symantec (£) 
			 (a) 2010/11 0 
			 (b) 2011/12 0 
			 (c) 2012/13 0 
		
	
	This information is also available on the Government website in accordance with the guidelines supporting the transparency spend initiatives.

UK Trade and Investment

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to provide greater incentive to UK Trade and Investment employees to seek and develop more trade for British companies.

Michael Fallon: UKTI is not an employer in its own right; for the majority of its human resource requirements it draws on civil service staff employed by one or other of its two parent Departments—the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
	UKTI utilises the performance management and reward arrangements of the relevant Departments in order to recognise achievement. There are no plans to provide additional incentives to individuals working on its behalf to seek and develop more trade for British companies.

UK Trade and Investment

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how his Department measures the performance of each UK Trade and Investment employee in (a) regional offices and (b) postings abroad.

Michael Fallon: UKTI is not an employer in its own right; for the majority of its human resource requirements it draws on civil service staff employed by one or other of its two parent Departments—the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
	Individuals working on behalf of UKTI undergo yearly performance appraisals in line with procedures set out by their parent Department (BIS or FCO). Typically individuals are assessed across a range of objectives linked to the delivery of business outcomes for their team.

UK Trade and Investment

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support is given to British companies by UK Trade and Investment embassy teams that are competing in unfair markets due to corruption.

Michael Fallon: UKTI trade teams overseas provide guidance and practical assistance to UK companies on managing the risks of overseas bribery and corruption. UKTI also contributes to the Overseas Business Risk website
	www.ukti.gov.uk/overseasbusinessrisk
	a service run by the FCO which offers country specific advice to British companies to help them manage risks such as bribery when operating overseas. The website contains information on over 90 markets and links through to advice provided by other organisation such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) also contributes to the Business Anti-Corruption Portal
	http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/
	which is a comprehensive and practical tool tailored to meet the corruption risk management needs of small and medium sized companies operating in or considering doing business in emerging markets and developing countries.

UK Trade and Investment

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the pay scales are for UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) employees in (a) UKTI regional offices, (b) London and (c) embassies abroad.

Michael Fallon: UKTI is not an employer in its own right; for the majority of its human resource requirements it draws on civil service staff employed by one or other of its two parent departments—the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
	Individuals working for UKTI are paid by their parent Department (BIS or FCO). Their pay scales are as follows:
	Annex A—BIS London based
	Annex B—BIS National based (regions)
	Annex C—FCO (for FCO individuals and staff in embassies)

UK Trade and Investment

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how UK Trade and Investment employees are incentivised to seek and develop more trade for British companies.

Michael Fallon: UKTI is not an employer in its own right; for the majority of its human resource requirements it draws on civil service staff employed by one or other of its two parent Departments—the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
	UKTI utilises the performance management and reward arrangements of the relevant Departments in order to set individual objectives and recognise achievement.

UK Trade and Investment

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how UK Trade and Investment indentifies business opportunities in foreign markets.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment staff based in British embassies, high commissions and consulates in over 100 countries identify business opportunities through a number of routes including:
	making calls on local business and government contacts
	visiting trade fairs and exhibitions
	reading local newspapers and publications
	scanning press releases and tender notices produced by national/local Governments and multilateral aid agencies
	web searches
	receiving ad-hoc requests received from local businesses
	Over 5,000 opportunities were identified and published on the UK Trade and Investment website:
	www.ukti.gov.uk/businessopportunities
	during 2012.

Xerox Corporation

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many contracts were awarded by his Department to Xerox in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and its agencies do not hold a central contracts database from which this information can be obtained. An exercise is under way to create a central database and in the interim we have provided the following information relating to spend with the Xerox group of companies in the years requested:
	
		
			  Spend with the Xerox Group (£) 
			 (a) 2010/11 521,884 
			 (b) 2011/12 176,935 
			 (c) 2012/13 354,073 
		
	
	This information is also available on the Government website in accordance with the guidelines supporting the transparency spend initiatives.

HEALTH

Ambulance Services

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has provided to clinical commissioning groups on the commissioning of ambulance services.

Anna Soubry: From April 2013, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) will assume statutory responsibility for commissioning the majority of healthcare services, including the commissioning of ambulance services. It will be for the NHS Commissioning Board to support CCGs and hold them to account. This support may include providing supportive commissioning resources, tools or guidance.

Ambulance Services: East of England

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the East of England Ambulance Service.

Anna Soubry: Ambulance trust performance is assessed against three standards relating to response times. Each trust should perform above all three standards over the year. The latest published data covers November 2012 and shows East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust performing appropriately against one of the three standards. The Department monitors ambulance trust performance closely, and will ensure the relevant strategic health authority takes appropriate action to improve performance where a trust is operating below standard.

Appendicitis

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many appendectomies have been performed in each of the last five years.

Anna Soubry: A count of finished consultant episodes (FCEs)(1) with a primary or secondary procedure(2) of appendectomy(3) 2007-08 to 2011-12(4) is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  FCEs 
			 2007-08 46,897 
			 2008-09 47,650 
			 2009-10 48,873 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 51,144 
			 2011-12 51,372 
			 (1 )Finished Consultant Episode (FCE) A finished consultant episode (FCE) is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year. (2 )Number of episodes with a (named) main or secondary procedure This denotes the number of episodes where the procedure (or intervention) was recorded in any of the 24 (12 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and four prior to 2002-03) procedure fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. A record is only included once in each count, even if the procedure is recorded in more than one procedure field of the record. Note that more procedures are carried out than episodes with a main or secondary procedure. For example, patients undergoing a 'cataract operation' would tend to have at least two procedures—removal of the faulty lens and the fitting of a new one—counted in a single episode. (3 )OPCS-4.4 codes for appendicectomies: H01.1 Emergency excision of abnormal appendix and drainage HFQ HOI.2 Emergency excision of abnormal appendix NEC HOI.3 Emergency excision of normal appendix HOI.8 Other specified emergency excision of appendix HOI.9 Unspecified emergency excision of appendix H02.1 Interval appendicectomy H02.2 Planned delayed appendicectomy NEC H02.3 Prophylactic appendicectomy NEC H02.4 Incidental appendicectomy H02.8 Other specified other excision of appendix H02.9 Unspecified other excision of appendix (4 )Assessing growth through time (Inpatients) HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care.

Beef: Horse Meat

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether inspections by the UK Food Safety and Food Standards Authorities routinely involve DNA testing to identify the contamination of foodstuffs.

Anna Soubry: holding answer 21 January 2013
	The analysis of food products using DNA-based methodology is an established technique and used routinely by United Kingdom official control laboratories and commercial laboratories. These tests are used most often to determine fish species in food products, and presence of genetically modified organisms. Six UK official control laboratories are able to analyse meat to determine whether it contains horse DNA using DNA-based methodology.
	The DNA analysis method is only one of the analytical methods available to determine whether substitution of meat has taken place. Other analytical methods include ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immuno-absorbent Assays) testing kits that match proteins present in a food product with proteins present in known meat species.
	Each year, local authorities carry out a substantial amount of sampling of meat identification to ensure that the meat species in meat products match the expectations of the label description. In 2012, at least 796 samples were tested for meat identification (testing for other meat species in meat products) as part of local authority risk-based sampling programmes. While some of the samples were found unsatisfactory, none had been tested for presence of horse meat.

Beef: Horse Meat

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he was informed about the sale of beef burgers on sale in Britain which were possibly contaminated with horse and pork meat; and what steps he has taken in response to this information.

Anna Soubry: holding answer 21 January 2013
	The Food Standards Agency (FSA) was notified by Food Safety Authority Ireland on 14 January that they were proposing to report on the analysis carried out into a number of meat products; including beef burgers, which revealed that some contained horse and pig DNA.
	The FSA has launched an urgent investigation into this issue and are working closely with the Department for Environment; Food and Rural Affairs on this. A four-point plan has been published on the FSA website at:
	www.food.gov.uk/news-updates/news/2013/jan/horse-update

Beef: Horse Meat

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take against those retailers who have sold inaccurately labelled meat products.

Anna Soubry: holding answer 21 January 2013
	The food businesses which the Food Safety Authority Ireland survey named as having sold inaccurately labelled products, are under investigation by local authority officers who are responsible for enforcing food composition and safety legislation. These investigations may lead to formal action.

Blood Transfusion Services

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will publish the information collected through the quality dashboard for blood and marrow transplantation.

Anna Soubry: As part of broader work to promote and assure the quality of commissioned services the NHS Commissioning Board has established a pilot to test the value and viability of quality dashboards for specialised services. Draft dashboards have been developed in a number of service areas, encompassing a selected range of measures covering, clinical outcomes, patient safety and patient experience. This includes a draft dashboard for blood and marrow transplantation.
	This first set of dashboards are currently going through an initial phase of testing, with providers assisting commissioners to evaluate a range of factors, including the validity and consistency of individual, measures and comparators, and the value to local and national clinical and commissioning teams in identifying and sharing good practice.
	If the pilot proves successful, and is ultimately approved by the Board, the intention would be to make dashboard information available publicly.

Blood Transfusion Services

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the 10 local area teams with responsibility for commissioning prescribed specialised services to begin commissioning according to the new commissioning specification for blood and marrow transplantation.

Anna Soubry: Staff appointed to the 10 future area teams of the NHS Commissioning Board who will have a lead role in respect of the direct commissioning of specialised services are already working with providers and other local stakeholders to secure care for patients in line with the proposed new national commissioning requirements from April 2013. These requirements will be enshrined in formal NHS contracts between the NHS Commissioning Board and relevant providers.
	This preparatory work includes local discussions on any differences between current service provision and the new national requirements from April 2013 (as set out in the draft service specifications, which will be subject to formal adoption by the board following the conclusion of the current consultation process). Where differences are identified, action plans will be drawn up with the board's area teams to achieve convergence as soon as possible, engaging with local stakeholders in the process.

Blood: Donors

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to encourage blood platelet donation.

Anna Soubry: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for the provision of a reliable, efficient supply of blood to hospitals in England and North Wales.
	NHSBT runs regular campaigns to encourage new and existing donors to donate platelets. In March 2012 NHSBT launched a platelet donation website. To provide further information on platelet donation, making it easier for those wishing to donate to check basic eligibility, find information on local donor sessions and book appointments. The website can be found at:
	http://www.blood.co.uk/platelets/
	NHSBT also uses social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter to recruit donors through campaigns such as National Blood Week. As platelet donation requires a greater time commitment than whole blood donation, NHSBT focuses campaigns towards encouraging existing loyal whole blood donors to give a blood sample to test their eligibility to donate platelets.
	These campaigns are part of a dedicated strategy developed by NHSBT to secure the safety and sufficiency of platelet supply. The strategy seeks to accommodate growth in demand for platelets by improving productivity, making more efficient use of capacity in existing centres, and implementing key performance measures, including satisfaction with the service NHSBT provides to these committed individuals, who are asked to donate at least eight to 10 times a year.

Breasts: Plastic Surgery

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with companies that carried out PIP implants that are now contemplating bankruptcy to prevent them being held legally accountable; and what protection has been put in place to support those who received these implants.

Anna Soubry: Departmental officials held two meetings with the major providers of cosmetic surgery, in January and February 2012, to impress on them the need to provide compassionate aftercare for women who had received PIP implants. Many of these providers have done so. Where a provider has gone out of business, or is unwilling to meet its legal and moral obligations to its patients, the national health service will meet their health care needs.
	The broader question of ensuring that patients of cosmetic surgery providers can have access to appropriate aftercare, even in the event that the provider goes out of business, is being addressed as part of the review of cosmetic interventions led by Sir Bruce Keogh. The review will report in March.

Breasts: Plastic Surgery

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the UK have had faulty breast implants and are waiting for them to be replaced.

Anna Soubry: As at the end of December 2012, 77 women who had received PIP implants as a result of national health service treatment, and 219 women who had received PIP implants from private providers, had decided to have their implants removed by the NHS in England but had not yet undergone the operation. Further information is available at:
	http://mediacentre.dh.gov.uk/2013/01/18/statistical-press-notice-pip-breast-implants-13/
	No information is available centrally on the number of women who are waiting for removal or replacement of their implants by private providers.

Care Homes: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many care homes have been deemed as failing to meet standard 15 of the National Minimum Standards in (a) Birmingham Hall Green constituency and (b) the Birmingham metropolitan area since 2010.

Norman Lamb: Care homes were inspected against the National Minimum Standards (NMS) until 2010 under the previous regulatory regime, under the Care Standards Act (CSA) 2000. From 1 October 2010, providers of adult social care services, including care homes, were required to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) under the Health and Social Care Act (HSCA) 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010. At the same time, the NMS were replaced by CQC's Essential Standards of Quality and Safety.
	The CQC has provided the following information.
	Table 1 shows the number of care homes in the Birmingham local authority area that were deemed to be failing to meet standard 15—Meals and Mealtimes—of the NMS under the CSA between January 2010 and 30 September 2010. Information is not available by parliamentary constituency area for this period.
	
		
			 Table 1 
			 Local authority area Total number of care homes deemed to be non-compliant with NMS 15(1) 
			 Birmingham 17 
			 (1 )The figure refers to services that are currently registered and those that may have since deregistered. Source: CQC database 
		
	
	To comply with regulation 14 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 and meet Outcome 5—Meeting Nutritional Needs—of the Essential Standards, care providers must ensure that service users are protected from the risk of inadequate nutrition and dehydration. This is the regulation in the current legislation that aligns most closely with NMS 15.
	Table 2 shows the total number of care homes that were deemed to be not compliant with outcome 5—Meeting Nutritional Needs—from inspections that took place in each fiscal year between 1 October 2010 and 15 January 2012, the latest available data, in Birmingham Hall Green constituency and the Birmingham metropolitan area.
	
		
			 Table 2 
			 Area Total number of care homes deemed to be non compliant with outcome 5(1) 
			 Birmingham Hall Green constituency 1 
			 Birmingham metropolitan area 30 
			 (1 )The figures refer to services that are currently registered and those that may have since deregistered. Source: CQC database, 15 January 2012

Care Homes: Fees and Charges

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made to bring the issue of fees for long-term residential and nursing care to a conclusion.

Norman Lamb: The Government has committed to bring forward detailed proposals to cap the costs of long-term care, giving people the certainty they need to plan for their long-term care needs. An announcement will be made in due course.

Continuing Care

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department plans to take to improve awareness of the commitment in the NHS mandate that everyone with a long-term condition will be offered a care plan.

Norman Lamb: The mandate sets out the Government's ambitions for the health service for the next two years, which includes an objective around offering care plans for those with long-term conditions. The NHS Commissioning Board is legally required to seek to achieve the objectives in this document.
	It is for the Board to decide how it will deliver its objectives, including by raising awareness. The Government will hold the Board to account for progress.

Dalepak

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Dalepak Hambleton plant in Yorkshire was last inspected; and what the nature of that inspection was.

Anna Soubry: Food law enforcement responsibility for the Dalepak plant in Hambleton Yorkshire rests with two local authorities. Hambleton district council is responsible for enforcement of food safety legislation, and North Yorkshire district council is responsible for enforcement of food composition and labelling legislation. The two authorities work closely to share information and carry out joint inspections where appropriate.
	Hambleton district council inspected these premises on 25 June 2012 to check compliance with food hygiene legislation, this comprised an inspection of the premises, documentary and traceability checks.
	North Yorkshire Trading Standards Officers inspected the premises on 6 March 2012 to check compliance with meat composition and labelling requirements.
	The Environment Agency last visited the site on 3 March 2012, where their audit focused on the site's preventative maintenance regime, environmental management procedures and ensuring that the outlets for wastes generated during food production complied with the relevant waste management regulations. During their audit the Environment Agency did not identify any areas where the operator was not complying with the conditions of their environmental permit.

Diabetes

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in (a) Gillingham and Rainham constituency, (b) Medway and (c) England have been (i) diagnosed with and (ii) predicted to have diabetes.

Anna Soubry: Information is not available in the format requested.
	The number of people recorded on practice disease registers is available in the “Quality and Outcomes Framework”, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. The numbers of diagnoses are not available but the number of people on the diabetes register as at 31 March 2012 are given as follows.
	Information is only available at primary care trust (PCT), strategic health authority and at England level.
	
		
			 Prevalence of diabetes in specified areas as at 31 March 2012 
			  Number of GP practices List size Estimated list size aged 17+ Number of patients aged 17+ on diabetes register Prevalence (Percentage) 
			 England 8,123 55,525,732 44,569,825 2,566,436 5.8 
		
	
	
		
			 Medway PCT 60 281,126 220,545 14,482 6.6 
			 Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre 
		
	
	The numbers relate to patients aged 17 or over who have been diagnosed with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes and do not measure current or predicted risk. Evidence suggests that 800,000 people in England currently have diabetes but have not been diagnosed, and that the total number of people with diabetes will rise to over four million by 2025 in England.

Diabetes

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the (a) number of obese people with undiagnosed diabetes and (b) the cost to the national health service of treating type 2 diabetes.

Anna Soubry: Evidence suggests that 3.3 million people in England currently have diabetes, of which 800,000 have yet to be diagnosed.
	No estimate has been made on the number of obese people with undiagnosed diabetes.
	We do not collate centrally the cost to the national health service of treating type 2 diabetes. The National Audit Office, in its report the “Management of adult diabetes services in the NHS” estimated that NHS spending on diabetes services for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes in 2009-10 was at least £3.9 billion, or 4% of the NHS budget. Diabetes UK have suggested that indirect costs to the NHS would inflate this figure considerably. Diabetes is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, soft tissue infection, and cellular damage.

Diabetes

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with his Northern Ireland counterparts on the taskforce for diabetes and the 5-10 year strategy; and what goals and recommendations have been achieved so far.

Anna Soubry: There have been no recent discussions. Health in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter and therefore is outside the scope of the Department's responsibility. Last year the Minister for Health in Northern Ireland initiated a review of diabetes care in Northern Ireland and the report is planned for publication later this year.

Diabetes

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will have discussions with health ministers in each of the devolved administrations to ensure best practice is being carried out across the UK in dealing with the range of rates of increase in diabetes in each territory.

Anna Soubry: holding answer 21 January 2013
	Health is a devolved issue for Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland and no discussions about diabetes incidence are currently planned with the devolved Administrations. The Department does, however, represent the United Kingdom as a whole in discussions about diabetes at international level and shares the results of that engagement with colleagues across the UK.
	The incidence of type 2 diabetes is rising globally and it is essential that all health leaders look to identify best practice and share knowledge and skills to ensure that appropriate measures are being taken to prevent the rise in type 2 diabetes nationally.

Diabetes

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many NHS organisations in (a) South Yorkshire and (b) England met or exceeded the expected levels of care outlined in the National Service Framework for Diabetes in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12;
	(2)  what proportion of people in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England diagnosed with diabetes are receiving all nine basic monitoring tests.

Anna Soubry: Data for Barnsley Central constituency are not provided as data are not collated at this level. Data for 2011-12 are not yet available.
	The following table shows the data for England and primary care trusts (PCTs) in South Yorkshire for those people with diabetes who had all nine care processes and achieved all levels required as outlined in the National Service Framework for Diabetes. The figures are taken from the National Diabetes Audit (NDA) for 2010-11. Participation in the NDA, which audits diabetes registrations in primary and secondary care, is not mandatory.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  All care processes completed(1) All targets achieved(2) 
			 England 54.3 19.8 
			    
			 Barnsley PCT 57.5 23.4 
			 Bassetlaw PCT 63.5 17.8 
			 Doncaster PCT 69.9 22.4 
			 Rotherham PCT 55.8 22.7 
			 Sheffield PCT 58.3 21.2 
			 (1) Care Processes: What percentage of people registered with diabetes received the nine key processes of diabetes care? These include five risk factors (weight (Body Mass Index), blood pressure, smoking, glucose levels (HbAlc), and serum cholesterol) and four tests for early complications (digital eye photography, laboratory urine microalbumin: creatinine ratio, serum creatinine and foot nerve and circulation examination). (2) Treatment Targets: What percentage of people registered with diabetes achieved National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) defined treatment targets for glucose control, blood pressure and blood cholesterol?

Diabetes

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on the treatment of diabetes in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12.

Anna Soubry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 7 January 2013, Official Report, column 100W.

Dietary Supplements

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether, at his next meeting with the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, he will raise the Government's objective of ensuring that consumers continue to have access to a wide range of safe and popular higher potency vitamin and mineral supplements;
	(2)  what steps he plans to take to ensure that the European Commission is made aware of the potential effect on employment and the viability of the specialist health food retail sector of the setting of restrictive maximum levels for nutrients in food supplements under the provisions of Article 5 of the EU Food Supplements Directive.

Anna Soubry: I wrote to the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy on 10 January 2013 raising the issue of setting maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements, as one of concern among United Kingdom citizens. The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), met with the Commissioner on 17 January 2013, emphasising the importance that any future proposals should be based on science and safety, to allow for the highest safe maximum levels. The nature of the UK market and potential impact on availability of thousands of products was underlined.

Doctors: Foreign Workers

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 1 November 2010, Official Report, column 635W, on doctors: foreign workers and the speech by the then Secretary of State for Health to the Conservative Party Conference on 4 October 2011, by what date the first language tests for non-UK European Economic Area qualified doctors will be administered; and what further stages need to be completed before the first tests are administered.

Daniel Poulter: holding answer 21 January 2013
	Language checks including tests can already be administered to European Economic Area qualified doctors by employers and contracting bodies. However, as announced in 2011 the Government is seeking to strengthen language checking by amending the Responsible Officer Regulations so that Responsible Officers are explicitly required to ensure that doctors in England have sufficient knowledge of English language to perform their work when they are appointed to an organisation. Subject to parliamentary approval the amended regulation should be brought into force on 1 April 2013.
	We are also exploring amending the Medical Act to strengthen the General Medical Council's (GMC) powers so that the GMC can undertake checks on language knowledge where legitimate concerns arise during the registration process about a doctor's ability to communicate effectively, and before there is evidence of malpractice. The Department is working constructively with the GMC, and we envisage that shortly we will be announcing further steps to develop the policy.

Domestic Visits

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department visited (i) a dental practice, (ii) an optometrist, (iii) a GP surgery, (iv) a pharmacy and (v) an NHS walk-in centre in an official capacity in the last 12 months.

Daniel Poulter: The following list provides details of the visits undertaken by the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), and his ministerial team in an official capacity between 16 January 2012 and 16 January 2013:
	
		
			 The Secretary of State (Mr Jeremy Hunt) 
			 Date Visit Type of organisation Location 
			 18 October 2012 Adelaide Medical Centre GP Surgery London 
		
	
	
		
			 The then Secretary of State (Mr Andrew Lansley) 
			 Date Visit Type of organisation Location 
			 12 January 2012 Sloan Medical Centre Health Centre Sheffield 
			 12 April 2012 Brookfield Dental clinic Dentist Rushden 
			 14 May 2012 Nelson Health Centre Health Centre North Shields 
		
	
	
		
			 The then Minister of State (Mr Simon Burns) 
			 Date Visit Type of organisation Location 
			 2 February 2012 Fakenham Surgery GP Practice Norfolk 
			 3 July 2012 Highgrove Surgery GP Practice Essex 
		
	
	
		
			 The then Minister of State (Mr Paul Burstow) 
			 Date Visit Type of organisation Location 
			 18 June 2012 Spinney Surgery GP Practice Cambridgeshire 
		
	
	
		
			 The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Dr Daniel Poulter) 
			 Date Visit Type of organisation Location 
			 13 November 2012 Heysham Primary care centre GP Practices, Dental Surgery, Pharmacy Heysham 
		
	
	
		
			 13 November 2012 Morecambe Same Day centre GP Practice (Health centre) Morecambe 
		
	
	
		
			 The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Earl Howe) 
			 Date Visit Type of organisation Location 
			 19 April 2012 Accrington Healthy Living Pharmacy Pharmacy Lancashire 
			 17 May 2012 Abbey Dental Dental Practice Barking 
			 8 June 2012 High Wycombe Healthy Living Pharmacy Pharmacy High Wycombe 
			 9 April 2012 Brighton and Sussex University Hospital NHS Trust Dental and Pharmacy Services for Homeless people Clinical Investigation and Research Unit with Dentistry and Pharmacy services for the homeless Brighton 
			 23 November 2012 Boulevard Medical Practice GP Practice Halifax 
			 23 November 2012 Grange Group Practice GP Practice Huddersfield

Drugs: Babies

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2012, Official Report, columns 674-5W, on drugs: babies, how many babies were born showing neonatal withdrawal symptoms attributable to maternal use of illicit or therapeutic drugs in 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: holding answer 21 January 2013
	In 2011-12 there were 1,118 finished admission birth episodes(1 )where the primary or secondary diagnosis(2) was P96.1 Neonatal withdrawal symptoms from maternal use of drugs of addiction.
	It should be noted that ICD-10 code P96.1 includes neonatal withdrawal symptoms from maternal use of any drug that the mother is addicted to—for example heroin or analgesics. Therefore it is not possible to identify the specific drug the neonate is withdrawing from using ICD-10.
	(1) Finished Admission (Birth) Episode (FAE)
	A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. Birth episodes and 'other birth event' episodes were included in these counts.
	(2 )Number of episodes in which the patient had a (named) primary or secondary diagnosis
	The number of episodes where this diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) primary and secondary diagnosis fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. Each episode is only counted once, even if the diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record.
	Note:
	ICD-10 code used:
	P96.1 Neonatal withdrawal symptoms form maternal use of drugs of addiction

Empty Property

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 15 January 2013, Official Report, column 698W, on health centres: Christchurch, for what reason the disposal of the Department's interest in the property has not yet taken place; and what the cost has been to his Department in empty property rates to date.

Daniel Poulter: The surrender of the lease is dependent upon the landlord reaching an agreement with the proposed hotel operator and planning consent being obtained, both of which are outside the Department's control. This has taken longer than anticipated.
	The total rates paid since 2000 are estimated to be £252,250.

Erectile Dysfunction: Drugs

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions of each type of drug for the treatment of erectile dysfunction were dispensed in (a) 2012 and (b) each of the last five years.

Norman Lamb: The number of prescription items dispensed for each medicine classified as used to treat erectile dysfunction, in the British National Formulary (BNF) section 7.4.5 “Drugs for erectile dysfunction”, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of prescription items for medicines used to treat erectile dysfunction, written in the UK and dispensed in the community, in England 
			 BNF chemical name 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 January to September 2012(1) 
			 Alprostadil 76,278 75,551 75,939 79,491 80,582 62,141 
			 Apomorphine Hydrochloride 43 15 4 1 — — 
			 Dapoxetine Hydrochloride — — — 5 6 6 
			 Other Preparations(2) 199 192 12 — 8 25 
			 Papaverine Hydrochloride 309 48 23 84 107 98 
			 Papaverine Hydrochloride/Phentolamine 1 1 — — — — 
			 Papaverine Sulphate 5 — — — — — 
			 Sildenafil (Erectile Dysfunction)(3) 1,112,228 1,185,434 1,232,875 1,276,062 1,279,472 958,444 
			 Tadalafil 503,003 569,453 680,700 770,701 815,583 629,700 
			 Vardenafil 146,478 153,324 155,669 156,351 165,359 131,483 
		
	
	
		
			 Yohimbine Hydrochloride 143 126 171 181 75 57 
			 Grand total 1,838,687 1,984,144 2,145,393 2,282,876 2,341,192 1,781,954 
			 ‘—’ Indicates no prescription items. (1) Data for the full calendar year of 2012 is not yet available. (2) Includes Invicorp-1 injection solution auto-injector, Invicorp-2 injection solution auto-injector and Invicorp-2 injection solution 1 ml amp. (3) Does not include 'Revatio' as this should only be prescribed to treat pulmonary hypertension (BNF 2.5.1). Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system. The Health and Social Care Information Centre, Prescribing and Primary Care Services.

Fast Food

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the recent findings by the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood on the connection between fast food and asthma or allergies; and if he will make a statement on the implications for public health policy.

Anna Soubry: This study adds to the evidence base linking dietary factors and the risk of conditions such as asthma and eczema. The development of these conditions is affected by a wide range of factors (e.g. environmental and genetic factors), all of which need to be considered.
	The Department will continue to keep the evidence on this issue under review.

Health

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether public health budgets were ringfenced when responsibilities were transferred to local authorities.

Anna Soubry: Public health budgets have been ring-fenced. A number of conditions have been placed on how they can be used and local authorities will be required to report on how they have spent their grants at the end of each financial year. Any underspends will need to be placed into a public health reserve.
	The conditions and reporting arrangements were published alongside the allocations announcements on 10 January. A copy of the grant conditions, and the associated documentation on the reporting arrangements, has been placed in the Library.

Health Services

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his assessment is of the data on achievement, exceptions and prevalence for the Quality and Outcomes Framework recently published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Daniel Poulter: Practices continue to maintain high levels of achievement against the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) in England; achieving 96.9% of the points available; compared to 94.7% in the previous year. The main reason for the small increase in average points achievement is technical, due to a change in the allocation of points between QOF areas.
	The overall exception rate for practices in England increased slightly on the previous year by 0.2 % to 5.6%. As part of our proposed reform to the GP contract we will ask the NHS Commissioning Board to carry out further work during 2013; in consultation with the General Practitioners Committee, to replace ill-defined general codes for exceptions with specific codes to record accurately the clinical reason for an exception of a patient.
	Reported prevalence has generally remained stable with some small increases for chronic conditions, which is to be expected.
	The QOF has brought improvements in patient care, but we need to go further and faster. This is why we have sent proposals to the British Medical Association for changes to the GP contract to drive up standards for all patients. We want the contract to reflect the most up-to-date expert guidance and excellent standards of care.

Health Services

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when information on the Commissioning for Quality and Innovation frameworks for prescribed specialised services will be published.

Anna Soubry: The Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) framework was introduced nationally in 2009 and is intended to ensure that a proportion of core national health service funding is explicitly directed to the achievement of measurable improvements in the quality and experience of commissioned care.
	CQUIN schemes for directly commissioned specialised services in 2013-14 have been informed both by national priorities (for example the provision of clinically led, networked care) and by the work of Clinical Reference Groups (CRGs), which have been established to enable active clinical engagement in national work in support of the commissioning of specialised services.
	The CQUIN approach for specialised services in 2013-14, for which documentation will be completed by the beginning of February, includes a range of service specific schemes. This enables commissioning staff within the future area teams of the NHS Commissioning Board to tailor the negotiation of CQUIN targets with local providers within a consistent national framework.

Health Services

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the NHS Commissioning Board plans to publish (a) the final commissioning specification for blood and marrow transplantation and (b) the Manual for Prescribed Specialised Services.

Anna Soubry: A public consultation is currently under way in respect of a range of draft service specifications and commissioning policies covering the prescribed specialised services falling within the NHS Commissioning Board's direct commissioning responsibilities from 1 April 2013.
	The consultation is intended to support the completion of these commissioning ‘products’ which will, for the first time, describe a consistent set of national requirements for all commissioned providers of specialised services. The documents build on work previously undertaken at a local level, and on the recommendations of a range of organisations (including Royal Colleges, patient representative groups and National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) which in many cases have themselves also been subject to broad stakeholder engagement and/or public consultation.
	The consultation period closes on 25 January, and will enable consideration of any further amendments that might be required prior to formal adoption. Publication of the agreed 2013-14 service specifications, including the specification covering blood and marrow services, is expected in March.
	The Manual for Prescribed Specialised Services was published on the NHS Commissioning Board's website in November 2012 at:
	http://www.commissioningboard.nhs.uk/files/2012/12/pss-manual.pdf
	and describes the prescribed specialised services that the Board will commission from April 2013. A final version of the manual will be published in March 2013.

Health Services

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he and the NHS Commissioning Board have received on the timeline for the consultation on the specialised commissioning service specifications.

Anna Soubry: Representations in respect of the consultation timeline have been received from the following organisations:
	The Gender Identity Research and Education Society
	The National Association of LINks Members
	The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry
	The Association of British Healthcare Industries.
	The consultation closes on 25 January. Responses to the consultation will be carefully analysed before the NHS Commissioning Board formally adopts the final service specifications for inclusion in contracts with providers from 2013-14. Publication of the 2013-14 service specifications is expected in March 2013.

Health Services

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when guidance outlining the national Individual Funding Request process for prescribed specialised services will be published.

Anna Soubry: A suite of ‘generic’ (non service-based) NHS Commissioning Board commissioning policies has been developed to support the delivery of future direct commissioning responsibilities. This includes draft operating guidance outlining the national Individual Funding Request (IFR) process, which will be administered by four area teams (one in each region) from April.
	The draft IFR guidance is currently being reviewed by the clinical and commissioning teams within the NHS Commissioning Board and guidance is being sought on the potential for wider engagement prior to the policies being finalised. A final publication date has consequently not yet been confirmed. An interim process will be published, to enable area teams to ensure that individual funding requests continue to be considered in a timely manner during the transition period.

Health Services

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when guidance outlining the national Individual Funding Request cohort policy process for prescribed specialised services will be published.

Anna Soubry: A suite of 'generic' (non service-based) NHS Commissioning Board commissioning policies has been developed to support the delivery of future direct commissioning responsibilities. This includes draft operating guidance outlining the national Individual Funding Request (IFR) process, which will be administered by four area teams (one in each region) from April.
	The draft IFR guidance is currently being reviewed by clinical and commissioning colleagues within the board and guidance is being sought on the potential for wider engagement prior to the policies being presented for ratification. A final publication date has consequently not yet been confirmed. An interim process will be published for guidance in the meantime, to enable area teams to ensure that individual funding requests continue to be considered in a timely manner during the transitionary period.

Health Services

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations his Department has received on reform of the Quality and Outcomes Framework in the last 12 months.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has received four letters from Members of Parliament with suggestions from their constituents for reforms to the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), including two letters calling for new indicators for vitamin D and obesity. We received one letter from the National Obesity Forum calling for new indicators on obesity.
	We have also received seven letters from Members of Parliament enclosing letters from general practitioners (GPs) and a letter from the General Practitioners Committee, expressing concern at the Government's proposed changes to QOF as part of the GP contract for 2013-14.
	In addition, ‘The management of diabetes services in the NHS’, a report by the National Audit Office, referred to problems with the QOF, including that it did not incentivise GP practices to exceed upper thresholds of achievement. The report was the subject of a Public Accounts Committee hearing in June 2012.

Health Services: Greater London

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on progress of the delivery of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel in respect of the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Clinical Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), and Health Ministers have received a number of representations from the London borough of Enfield, other interested stakeholders, and members of the public regarding progress in respect of the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Clinical Strategy generally, and its implementation.

Health: Disadvantaged

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to tackle health inequality.

Anna Soubry: Tackling health inequalities is a Government priority as part of its wider focus on fairness and social justice. We have established a framework aimed at reducing health inequalities.
	In the Health and Social Care Act 2012, we have, for the first time ever, established specific legal duties on health inequalities for national health service commissioners and the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt). Commencing on 1 April 2013:
	The NHS Commissioning Board and clinical commissioning groups will be under a duty to have regard to the need to reduce inequalities in access to, and the outcomes of, healthcare.
	The Secretary of State has a wider duty to have regard to the need to reduce inequalities relating to the health service (including both NHS and public health, and relating to all the people of England).
	The NHS Commissioning Board, clinical commissioning groups and Monitor have further duties around integration of health services, health-related services or social care services where they consider this would reduce inequalities.
	The Secretary of State, the NHS Commissioning Board and clinical commissioning groups have duties around health inequalities, concerning planning, reporting and assessment.
	The NHS Mandate to the NHS Commissioning Board, published on 13 November 2012, recognises that there are longstanding and unjustifiable inequalities in access to services, in the quality of care, and in health outcomes for patients and reaffirms the Government's commitment to holding the board to account for discharging its legal duties as regards to these health inequalities.
	We have also taken steps to ensure that, once established, Public Health England will play a key role in tackling inequalities. This has been informed by the independent review of health inequalities “Fair Society, Healthy Lives”, (February 2010), which was led by Professor Sir Michael Marmot. The Government accepted the key principles and recommendations, responding through the public health White Paper, “Healthy Lives, Healthy People” (November 2010).
	The NHS Commissioning Board has a budget of £95.6 billion to deliver the mandate. Within this overall funding, it has allocated £65.6 billion to local health economy commissioners for 2013-14, a real terms increase of 0.6% compared to 2012-13 baselines.
	Local authorities will take the lead for improving the health of their local population and reducing health inequalities. The ring-fenced grants totalling £2.7 billion and £2.8 billion have been allocated to local authorities for 2013-14 and 2014-15 to spend on public health services for their local populations. These grants have been targeted using a formula commissioned by the Secretary of State from the independent Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation. One of the aims of this formula is to contribute to reducing health inequalities.
	Both the Public Health Outcomes Framework and the NHS Outcomes Framework have a strong focus on addressing health inequalities, providing mechanisms to monitor progress.
	The University College London Institute of Health Equity, led by Professor Sir Michael Marmot and supported by the Department, will help England to strengthen its evidence-based approach to addressing health inequalities, and support all parts of the health system through the practical application of knowledge and best practice.
	Finally, within a broad strategy to tackle health inequalities across the country, we are also addressing the health needs of those most vulnerable to poor health outcomes through the Inclusion Health programme. The initial focus of the programme is on the health outcomes of homeless, Gypsies and Travellers, sex workers, and vulnerable migrants.

Ibuprofen

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions have been dispensed for the use of ibuprofen in England in each of the last five years; and what the annual cost to the Exchequer was of such prescriptions.

Norman Lamb: Information on the number of ibuprofen prescription items, dispensed in the community, with the net ingredient cost, in each of the most recently available five years, is as follows:
	
		
			 Prescription items for ibuprofen written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community, in England(1,2) 
			  Number (thousand) Net ingredient cost (£000) 
			 2007 5,885.5 21,520.9 
			 2008 6,168.4 19,398.1 
			 2009 6,474.1 20,275.3 
			 2010 6,618.5 20,154.2 
			 2011 6,675.4 20,580.5 
			 (1) Does not include items dispensed in hospitals, including mental health trusts, or private prescriptions. (2) Does not include preparations that contain both ibuprofen and other chemicals, in combination, which are relatively small in number. Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system. The Health and Social Care Information Centre, Prescribing and Primary Care Services.

Influenza

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that the NHS is prepared for an influenza epidemic.

Anna Soubry: holding answer 21 January 2013
	We are taking a range of measures to ensure that the NHS is able to respond flexibly to varying levels of flu, including an epidemic. These measures include:
	publishing a seasonal flu plan to assist local National Health Service organisations in developing robust and flexible operational plans;
	providing the NHS with guidance on the flu immunisation programme and use of antivirals;
	running an assurance process with strategic health authority and primary care trust clusters to ensure adequate plans are in place for the flu season;
	running a targeted national communications campaign to promote improved uptake of flu vaccine in clinical risk groups;
	liaising with flu vaccine manufacturers to help ensure security of supply;
	holding a central strategic reserve of flu vaccine to address any serious supply issues;
	providing updated information to NHS commissioners and providers via the Department's monthly Vaccine Update bulletin; and
	monitoring levels of flu and vaccine coverage throughout the season.

Influenza

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of general practitioner patients have received a vaccination against influenza in each primary care trust area since September 2012.

Anna Soubry: holding answer 21 January 2013
	Information about the proportion of patients registered with a general practitioner that have received vaccination against influenza in each primary care trust area from 1 September 2012 to 31 December 2012 is available on the Department's website at:
	http://immunisation.dh.gov.uk/category/data-and-statistics/
	A copy of this information has been placed in the Library.

Influenza

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many influenza vaccinations were available for those with egg allergies in (a) the Cumbria Primary Care Trust area and (b) Copeland local authority area in winter (i) 2011-12 and (ii) 2012-13 to date.

Anna Soubry: holding answer 21 January 2013
	The Department does not hold this information. The number of influenza vaccines produced for each general practitioner (GP) practice depends on the quantities they have requested for production directly with the manufacturers, at least 10 months before the influenza season begins. GPs are reminded of this process regularly throughout the year through Vaccine Update and the chief medical officer letters, which the Department circulates.
	This has been the procedure for ordering all influenza vaccine for many years and is not a recent change.

Influenza

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has issued new guidelines for the application of influenza vaccines to those with egg intolerances in the last 12 months.

Anna Soubry: holding answer 21 January 2013
	Updated guidance on the application of influenza vaccine in those with egg allergy was published by the Department on 24 August 2012, as an update to the “Green Book—Immunisation against infectious disease”. The guidance can be found on page 203 of chapter 19, which is available on the Immunisation channel of the Department's website at:
	http://immunisation.dh.gov.uk/green-book-chapters/chapter-19/

Influenza

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what safeguards are in place to ensure that people with egg intolerances will have access to safe influenza vaccinations in the winter of 2013-14.

Anna Soubry: holding answer 21 January 2013
	For 2013-14, the NHS Commissioning Board will be responsible for commissioning certain public health services, including the seasonal influenza immunisation programme, as part of the published agreement between the Board and the Department. The published service specification for this programme states that locally commissioned services should immunise the target population following the guidance in “Immunisation against Infectious Disease” (The Green Book), which includes specific information on the immunisation of individuals who have egg allergy and may be at increased risk of reaction to influenza vaccines.

NHS Direct

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the official satisfaction ratings for NHS Direct were in each year since its introduction.

Anna Soubry: holding answer 21 January 2013
	Official satisfaction ratings for NHS Direct in each year since 2008 is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Average patient satisfaction rating (percentage) 
			 2008-09 93 
			 2009-10 91 
			 2010-11 93 
			 2011-12 93 
			 Source: NHS Direct National Health Service Trust Annual Report and Accounts 
		
	
	Official satisfaction ratings are not available as an annual figure between 2002-07, but were collected monthly by NHS Direct between 2002-06. The information from the monthly survey in March each year is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Patients very satisfied and satisfied (percentage) 
			 March 2002 99.2 
			 March 2003 98.1 
			 March 2004 98.2 
			 March 2005 98.0 
			 March 2006 96.6 
			 Source: NHS Direct Patient Satisfaction Reports

NHS: Working Hours

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to encourage the European Commission to introduce changes to the Working Time Directive; and what steps he is taking to minimise the effect of the Directive on the NHS.

Daniel Poulter: holding answer 21 January 2013
	The previous Government implemented the Working Time Directive (WTD). However, the current Government recognises that the WTD has created problems for the national health service in terms of continuity of care for patients and the quality of training available to junior doctors.
	This Government recognises the difficulties caused by the WTD and agreed to limit the application of it in the NHS.
	The Department and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills are working closely together on the application of the Directive to the United Kingdom health sector. We agree the priority is to obtain further flexibility in the areas of on-call time and compensatory rest as well as the preservation of the individual opt out.
	In response to Professor Sir John Temple's review, “Time for Training”, which assessed the application of the Directive on medical education and training, Medical Education England has initiated a programme known as ‘Better Training, Better Care’ to improve both the quality of training and patient care.
	Additionally, the Department is taking forward a programme of work known as ‘Better Contracting, Better Care’ to renegotiate the junior doctors’ contract so that it supports training within the Directive and provides flexibility for junior doctors to spend more time training with senior consultants.

Obesity

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the recommendations to tackle obesity included in the recent Royal College of Physicians report, Action on obesity: Comprehensive care for all; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: I have noted this report from the Royal College of Physicians. “Healthy Lives, Healthy People:” A call to action on obesity in England sets out the Government's approach to tackling obesity in the new public health and national health service systems and the role of key partners, which includes the medical profession, business and other Government Departments.
	A copy of “A calf to action” has already been placed in the Library.

Obesity

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of whether the indicators currently set out in the Quality and Outcomes Framework are effective in providing incentives to GPs to tackle obesity and overweight.

Daniel Poulter: The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) incentivises general practitioner (GP) practices to identify and keep a record each year of patients aged 16 and over with a body mass index greater than or equal to 30. This encourages GPs to identify patients who need lifestyle advice and provides information to public health professionals and commissioners on levels of need.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) will continue to review obesity as part of its rolling programme of review and development of indicators for the whole of the QOF. Stakeholders can send comments directly to NICE on existing indicators.

Obesity

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that initiatives to tackle obesity are not only focused on prevention but also on the management of obesity and weight.

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that obese and overweight patients receive expert advice on weight loss and weight management as early as possible.

Anna Soubry: The Government has published “Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A call to action on obesity in England” which sets out our approach to tackling obesity in the new public health and NHS systems. The 'Call to action' sets out the importance of both preventing and helping people who are already overweight manage their weight. General practitioners, along with other clinicians, can play a key role in 'making every contact count' by raising the issue of obesity and providing advice or referral to appropriate services.
	Primary care trusts are responsible for commissioning health care services to meet the needs of their population including services for those who are concerned about their weight. Health care professionals are encouraged to implement guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on the "Prevention, identification, assessment and management of overweight and obesity in adults and children" and, where appropriate, implement their local obesity care pathway to ensure that patients receive the support they need to manage their weight.
	The NICE guidance is available at:
	www.nice.org.uk/CG43
	A copy of the "Call to action' has already been placed in the Library.

Obesity

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the report Health at a Glance: Europe recently published by the European Commission and its findings on the level of obesity in the UK compared with that of other EU countries.

Anna Soubry: We have noted the report “Health at a Glance: Europe” which confirms that the rates of overweight and obesity in this country remain far too high. The Government has published “Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A Call to Action on Obesity in England”, which sets out how overweight and obesity among children and adults will be tackled in the new public health system and the national health service, and the role of key partners.
	A copy of the “Call to action” has already been placed in the Library.

Obesity

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the data on achievement, exceptions and prevalence for the Quality and Outcomes Framework published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre on the number of people registered as obese; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: Practices continue to maintain high levels of achievement against the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) in England achieving 96.9% of the points available, compared to 94.7% in the previous year. The main reason for the small increase in average points achievement is technical, due to a change in the allocation of points between QOF areas.
	Achievement on obesity is the same as the previous year at 100%. The indicator rewards general practitioners (GPs) for keeping a register of patients aged 16 years and over with a body mass index greater than or equal to 30 in the preceding 15 months. GPs cannot except patients from the obesity register. The percentage of patients included in the register is slightly higher than the previous year (10.7% compared to 10.5%). However, the indicator only captures patients whose body mass index has been recorded as part of routine care during the past year and so does not record true prevalence in the population.
	The QOF has brought improvements in patient care, but we need to go further and faster. This is why we have sent proposals to the British Medical Association for changes to the GP contract to drive up standards for all patients. We want the contract to reflect the most up-to-date expert guidance and excellent standards of care.
	Under our proposals, the indicator on obesity will form part of the Public Health Domain in QOF from April 2013. Public Health England will set priorities for development of public health indicators for QOF. We are committed to identifying the best possible evidence of what works in tackling obesity and pulling together the evidence will be a key task for Public Health England.

Organs: Donors

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has commissioned or evaluated on the potential effect of the introduction of presumed consent on the level of organ donations; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: In 2008 the Organ Donation Taskforce considered presumed consent in considerable detail looking at the clinical, communication, cultural, ethical, legal and practical aspects of opt-out legislation. As part of its evidence gathering for its second report, ‘The potential impact of an opt-out system for organ donation’, published in November 2008, the taskforce commissioned a systematic literature review from the University of York to assess the impact of opt-out legislation on organ donation rates in other countries. It also reviewed eight studies comparing different countries and found that direct comparison between countries was difficult because of the wide range of other factors that influence organ donation rates, for example, mortality from road traffic accidents, religion, education, and transplant infrastructure. The reviewers found that the evidence identified and appraised was not robust enough to provide clear guidance for policy.
	The taskforce concluded that while such a system might have the potential to deliver benefits, it was not confident the introduction would increase organ donor numbers and that there was some evidence that donor numbers may go down. For example, although the majority of faith and belief groups interviewed were positive about donation most were opposed to the introduction of opt-out legislation.

Organs: Donors

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people with diabetes have received organ donations (a) linked to diabetes and (b) not linked to diabetes in each of the last five years.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Organ transplants in United Kingdom, 2008-2012 where diabetes (type I or II) listed as primary reason for transplant 
			 Transplant type 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Kidney only 120 148 169 174 220 
			 Pancreas only 51 35 34 32 32 
			 Pancreas islets 2 8 11 23 36 
			 Kidney/pancreas 152 144 146 154 159 
			 Liver/pancreas. 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Total 325 335 360 384 447 
			 Source: NHS Blood and Transplant 
		
	
	NHS Blood and Transplant have advised that they do not routinely record a recipient's diabetes status. This information is only recorded where it is the primary reason for needing the transplant. Therefore they can not clarify the number of transplants unrelated to diabetes, as in some recipients diabetes may have been a contributing factor to another primary reason.

Organs: Donors

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were (a) on the organ donor register and (b) were added to the organ donor register in (i) Gillingham and Rainham, (ii) Medway, (iii) Kent and (iv) England in each of the last five years.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is in the following table:
	
		
			 Number on the organ donor register as at the end of 2007 and added each year, 2008-12 
			 Area As at end 2007 Added 2008 Added 2009 Added 2010 Added 2011 Added 2012 As at end 2012 
			 Gillingham/Rainham 22,138 1,643 1,558 1,557 1,390 1,273 29,559 
			 Medway 51,090 3,927 3,778 3,573 3,226 2,983 68,577 
			 Kent 411,527 31,448 30,844 31,694 29,157 26,764 561,434 
			 England 11,846,526 938,624 879,688 914,665 844,803 774,634 16,198,940 
			 Note: Numbers added each year are net increase after any removals from the register—for example death, change of address to out of boundary. Source: NHS Blood and Transplant

Organs: Donors

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many organ (a) donors and (b) recipients were over 18 years old in each of the last five years.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			 Table 1: Deceased organ donors and recipients 18 years and older, United Kingdom, 2008-12 
			  2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Donors 827 886 976 1,012 1,126 
			 Recipients 2,334 2409 2,500 2,617 2,840 
			 Source: NHS Blood and Transplant 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Living organ donors and recipients 18 years and older, UK, 2008-12 
			  2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Donors 979 1,018 1,057 1,062 1,063 
			 Recipients 895 943 974 975 967 
			 Source: NHS Blood and Transplant

Organs: Donors

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of organ (a) recipients and (b) donors were (i) male and (ii) female in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion were from each ethnic group in the latest period for which figures are available.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			 Deceased organ donors and recipients, in United Kingdom, 2012, by sex 
			 Sex Donors (number) Percentage Recipients (number) Percentage 
			 Male 621 53.4 1,869 61.9 
			 Female 543 46.6 1,149 38.1 
			 Not recorded 0 — 2 — 
			 Total 1,164 — 3,020 — 
		
	
	
		
			 Living organ donors and recipients in UK, 2012, by sex 
			 Sex Donors (number) Percentage Recipients (number) Percentage 
			 Male 523 49.20 647 60.90 
			 Female 540 40.80 415 39.10 
			 Not recorded 0 — 1 — 
			 Total 1,063 — 1,063 — 
		
	
	
		
			 Deceased organ donors and recipients in UK, .2012, by ethnic origin 
			 Ethnic origin Donors (number) Percentage Recipients (number) Percentage 
			 White 1,071 94.9 2,456 81.4 
			 Asian/Asian-British 22 2.0 330 10.9 
			 Black/Black-British 18 1.6 162 5.4 
			 Chinese/Oriental 4 0.4 33 1.1 
			 Mixed 7 0.6 9 0.3 
			 Other 6 0.5 26 0.9 
			 Not Recorded 36 — 4 — 
			 Total 1,164 — 3,020 — 
		
	
	
		
			 Living organ donors and recipients in UK, 2012, by ethnic origin 
			 Ethnic origin Donors (number) Percentage Recipients (number) Percentage 
			 White 894 85.00 871 82.60 
			 Asian/Asian-British 83 7.90 111 10.50 
		
	
	
		
			 Black/Black-British 42 4.00 46 4.40 
			 Chinese/Oriental 7 0.70 3 0.30 
			 Mixed 4 0.30 3 0.30 
			 Other 22 2.10 20 1.90 
			 Not Recorded 5 — 18 — 
			 Total 1,057 — 1,072 — 
			 Source: NHS Blood and Transplant

Organs: Donors

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people received a second organ donation within (a) one year and (b) five years of a previous transplant in the last five years for which figures are available.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of recipients of organs for a second similar transplant(1), United Kingdom, 2008 to 2012 (year of second transplant) 
			 Second transplant Within 1 year Within 5 years(2) 
			 2008 38 90 
			 2009 39 89 
			 2010 39 97 
			 2011 30 90 
			 2012 38 98 
			 (1 )There will be others who had a third or subsequent transplant and recipients who have received a different transplanted organ. (2 )Includes those with one year. Source: NHS Blood and Transplant.

Organs: Donors

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many domino transplants (a) in total and (b) for each type of organ were performed in each of the last five years.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Domino Transplants, United Kingdom, 2008-12 
			  Year 
			 Organ 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Kidney 0 1 0 2 4 
			 Liver 8 3 4 4 3 
			 Heart 0 0 1 3 0 
			 Total 8 4 5 9 7 
			 Source: NHS Blood and Transplant

Organs: Donors

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in which hospitals the greatest increase in transplant surgeries have taken place in the last year.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Transplant units with biggest increase in transplant operations 2011 to 2012, United Kingdom 
			 Unit 2011 2012 Increase (no.) % increase 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham 340 382 42 12.4 
			 St Helier Hospital, Carshalton 18 36 18 100.0 
			 Source: NHS Blood and Transplant

Paracetamol

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2013, Official Report, column 860W, on paracetamol, what the cost was to the public purse of those prescriptions issued for the use of paracetamol in England in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: The net ingredient cost of paracetamol prescription items, dispensed in the community, in each of the most recently available five years, is as follows:
	
		
			 Net ingredient cost (NIC) of paracetamol prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community, in England(1,2) 
			  NIC (£000) 
			 2007 56,130.4 
			 2008 42,531.3 
			 2009 54,146.9 
			 2010 64,241.9 
			 2011 61,270.1 
			 (1) Does not include items dispensed in hospitals, including mental health trusts, or private prescriptions. (2) Does not include preparations that contain both paracetamol and other chemicals, in combination. Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system. The Health and Social Care Information Centre, Prescribing and Primary Care Services.

Pay

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff in his Department are paid an annual salary of more than £100,000.

Daniel Poulter: As at 31 December 2012, 38 civil servants had a full-time equivalent salary of more than £100,000.
	This information is based on basic salaries paid to civil servants and does not include allowances, bonuses or overtime payments. The data include part-time civil servants whose full-time equivalent salary is in excess of £100,000.

Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to facilitate the accurate prediction of hospital admissions at Peterborough and Stamford Hospital's NHS Foundation Trust, by reference to the (a) Acute Trust and (b) emerging clinical commissioning group; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: As part of commissioning planning for 2013-14, the NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough primary care trust cluster will work with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group to discuss hospital capacity in the local area, including historic admission rates at providers such as Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and ensure these are taken into consideration in determining service provision.
	As part of its regulatory process, Monitor, the independent regulator of national health service foundation trusts, announced on 10 December 2012 that it would appoint a contingency planning team to Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The team will work with the trust, local commissioners and other stakeholders to deliver a sustainable financial solution for the trust that safeguards the future delivery of quality services for patients in the local area.

Physical Inactivity

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the economy since 2010 of physical inactivity.

Anna Soubry: Our most recent estimate of the cost to the economy of physical inactivity was published in July 2011 in the UK Chief Medical Officers' report ‘Start Active Stay Active’.
	This describes an annual cost of £1.06 billion to the national health service across the UK, based upon data published in 2007. In 2002, the annual costs to the wider economy in England were estimated at £5.5 billion arising from sickness absence and £1 billion from the premature death of people of working age.

Plagiocephaly

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent representations he has received on whether treatment for plagiocephaly should be provided by the NHS;
	(2)  how many cases of plagiocephaly have been diagnosed in the NHS in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: Plagiocephaly is a relatively common condition and is self correcting in the great majority of cases. It is for clinicians to determine in each case whether any treatment is required and it is for the local health commissioners' to decide whether to fund appropriate treatment.
	Information is not collected in the format requested. The table shows the number of finished consultant episodes for children with a period of care in hospital with a diagnosis of plagiocephaly.
	
		
			 A count of finished consultant episodes (FCEs)(1) with a primary or secondary diagnosis(2) of plagiocephaly(3) 2007-08 to 2011-12(4) 
			 Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			  Episodes 
			 2007-08 863 
			 2008-09 907 
			 2009-10 875 
			 2010-11 1,212 
			 2011-12 1,213 
			 (1 )A finished consultant episode (FCE) is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year. (2 )The number of episodes where this diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) primary and secondary diagnosis fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. Each episode is only counted once, even if the diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record. (3 )ICD 10 code—Q67.3 plagiocephaly (4 )HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Radiotherapy

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  with reference to his Department's document on the value for money addendum to the strategic outline case for the national proton beam therapy (PBT) service development programme if the Exchequer has made an assessment of the economic viability of the PBT proposal; and what advice the Exchequer has given to mitigate the financial risks in the £250 million investment;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2012, Official Report, column 855W, on Varian Medical Systems UK and Hospital Corporation of America, and with reference to his Department's document on the value for money addendum to the strategic outline case for the national proton beam therapy (PBT) service development programme, section 4.11, for what reasons he will not publish all correspondence entered into with trusts and other detailed working papers produced as part of the development of that document;
	(3)  pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2012, Official Report, column 855W, on Varian Medical Systems UK and Hospital Corporation of America, and with reference to his Department's document on the value for money addendum to the strategic outline case for the national proton beam therapy (PBT) service development programme, section 4.10, which suppliers were involved in the costing discussions with University College Hospital, London and The Christie Hospital, Manchester;
	(4)  whether the capital for purchasing the proton radiotherapy machines to be installed at Christie Hospital, Manchester and University College Hospital, London will be supplied as a loan; at what interest rate any such loan will be made; and over how many years each hospital will repay that loan.

Anna Soubry: The Strategic Outline Case (SOC) for the development of a Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) Service was submitted to HM Treasury in December 2011 as part of the standard process for the approval of major capital projects. Approval was received in February 2012.
	The Treasury's approval required the SOC to include updates on demand, technological advances and the market, as well as more detail on the relative value for money of the scheme.
	It was subsequently decided that the two Trusts should develop separate SOCs for Treasury approval. To address the Treasury's request for more detail to be included on value for money, the Value for Money (VFM) addendum was submitted to the Treasury for approval in August 2012 and was published by the Department with its PBT SOC in October 2012.
	When developing the SOC and VFM addendum, all steps were taken to ensure that appropriate governance requirements were met and best practice was employed. We do not intend to publish correspondence and working papers associated with the development of the SOC or VFM as, by their nature, working documents do not always contain complete or validated information, and their publication could mislead when the full picture has now been published in the final document. To put our detailed assumptions about the costs of equipment in the public domain could also jeopardise the Trust's ability to secure value for money from the equipment procurement process.
	No suppliers were involved in the costing discussions held with the two Trusts in the development of the SOC and VFM Addendum.
	The capital that will be used by the Trusts to purchase PBT equipment will be provided as part of the wider financial arrangements that are currently under discussion. Details of the financial arrangements will be included in the Trust's SOCs, which will be placed in the public domain once they are approved by the Department and the Treasury, in line with standard departmental practice.

Radiotherapy

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which body will be responsible for commissioning the workforce for radiotherapy services after April 2013;
	(2)  with reference to Radiotherapy Services in England 2012, what funding he will make available to meet the required increases in the radiotherapy workforce by 2016;
	(3)  with reference to Radiotherapy Services in England 2012, what funding he will make available for additional linear accelerators needed by the NHS by 2016.

Anna Soubry: “Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer”, published on 12 January 2011 set out a commitment to expand radiotherapy capacity by investing over £150 million in additional funding up to 2014-15. The Government have yet to set spending plans beyond 2014-15 and these will be subject to a future spending review.
	This money is provided to commissioners through baseline allocations and commissioners can use this funding to purchase additional radiotherapy services from providers through locally negotiated tariffs or other payment mechanisms. Providers may use this income to purchase additional radiotherapy equipment to meet the increased demand.
	To encourage the national health service to update the existing medical technology infrastructure, the Department also established a £300 million fund in March 2012 to bulk purchase medical equipment, such as radiotherapy equipment, and achieve better prices for the NHS. The fund is operated by NHS Supply Chain.
	At present, strategic health authorities plan the workforce required to deliver healthcare services, including radiotherapy services. From April 2013, Health Education England (HEE) assumes national leadership for a new system of planning and developing the entire health and care workforce, including responsibility for the multi professional education and training budget. HEE, supported by Local Education and Training Boards (LETBs), will ensure that the shape and skills of the future health and care workforce evolves to sustain high quality health outcomes for patients. All LETBs will commission the workforce for such services.
	“Radiotherapy Services in England 2012”, published on 6 November 2012 provides an up to date position on the provision of radiotherapy services in England and sets out levels of expected need in future and the workforce and equipment required to meet that need in 2016. A copy has been placed in the Library. Radiotherapy providers and professional bodies will need to ensure HEE and LETBs have the right information and data to enable the right numbers of radiotherapy workforce with the right skills are in place.

Rehabilitation

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on the treatment of (a) drug, (b) alcohol, (c) smoking and (d) gambling addictions in (i) 2012 and (ii) each of the last five years.

Anna Soubry: The commissioning of treatment for dependence on drugs or alcohol is undertaken at a local level. The Department does not directly purchase treatment but allocates funds to support local areas to do so. The Department does not monitor spend, but the national adult pooled treatment budget allocations are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  National (£) 
			 2008-09 373,300,000 
			 2009-10 381,300,000 
			 2010-11 381,300,000 
			 2011-12 381,300,000 
			 2012-13 381,300,000 
		
	
	The Department does not record the cost to the national health service of treating people with tobacco-related diseases, but people can access a range of smoking cessation services.
	The Department does not record the cost to the NHS of treating people with problem gambling but those with problem gambling can access services in primary care and secondary care including specialised mental health and addiction services.

Ulcers

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to promote campaigns to address the problem of ulcers; and how many people aged (a) 0 to 20, (b) 21 to 30, (c) 31 to 40, (d) 41 to 50, (e) 51 to 60 and (f) 60 plus have been diagnosed with ulcers.

Anna Soubry: All general practitioners will be familiar with the signs and symptoms suggestive of gastric ulcers and with the methods available to confirm the diagnosis and treat the condition. Information for patients about gastric ulcers is available from “NHS Choices”, from the website “Patientco.uk”, and from the patient support organisation CODE. In addition, NHS Direct offer a “symptom checker” which helps patients with conditions such as abdominal pain to seek appropriate help.
	Information on the number of people diagnosed with ulcers is not available centrally. The available information on the number of hospital in-patient episodes is given in the following table. Some patients may have had more than one spell of hospital treatment in the year in question, and diagnoses made in primary care or in hospital outpatient clinics will be excluded from the figures unless they resulted in a subsequent inpatient admission.
	
		
			 Finished consultant episodes(1 )(FCEs) with a primary or secondary diagnosis(2 )of gastric ulcer(3) by age group for 2011-12. Activity in English national health service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			 Age group FCEs 
			 0-20 537 
			 21-30 1,348 
			 31-40 2,697 
			 41-50 5,290 
			 51-60 7,439 
			 61 and over 35,125 
			 Unknown age 132 
			 Total 52,568 
			 (1) Finished Consultant Episode (FCE) A finished consultant episode (FCE) is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year. (2) Number of episodes with a (named) main or secondary procedure This denotes the number of episodes where the procedure (or intervention) was recorded in any of the 24 (12 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and four prior to 2002-03) procedure fields in a HES record. A record is only included once in each count, even if the procedure is recorded in more than one procedure field of the record. Note that more procedures are carried out than episodes with a main or secondary procedure. For example, patients under going a 'cataract operation' would tend to have at least two procedures—removal of the faulty lens and the fitting of a new one—counted in a single episode. (3) ICD-10 code: K25—Gastric ulcer Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Vaccination

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how nationwide seasonal vaccination programmes are co-ordinated through local healthcare providers; and what support such providers are given by his Department.

Anna Soubry: holding answer 21 January 2013
	The influenza (flu) immunisation programme is currently the only seasonal immunisation programme. This programme is currently co-ordinated at local level by primary care trust (PCT) immunisation co-ordinators supported by strategic health authority (SHA) immunisation leads.
	The Department is taking a range of measures in the 2012-13 season to support commissioners and providers, including:
	publishing a seasonal flu plan to assist local national health service organisations in developing robust and flexible operational plans;
	running an assurance process with SHA and PCT clusters to ensure adequate plans are in place for the flu season;
	running a targeted national communications campaign to promote improved uptake of flu vaccine in clinical risk groups;
	liaising with flu vaccine manufacturers to help ensure security of supply;
	holding a central strategic reserve of flu vaccine to address any serious supply issues;
	providing updated information to NHS commissioners and providers via the Department's monthly Vaccine Update bulletin; and
	monitoring levels of flu and vaccine coverage throughout the season.